Annalise Rasmussen was Central Coast Mariners’ first signing upon their return to the Liberty A-League and she is proof of the club’s pathway to senior football.
From 11-year-old Gosford prospect to first-team star. It has been a long journey to this point.
Annalise Rasmussen joined Central Coast Mariners’ academy setup seven years ago and started out playing for their NPL side.
Last year, she became Central Coast’s inaugural Liberty A-League signing as the Mariners returned to the competition following a 14-year-old hiatus.
The 18-year-old forward hasn’t looked back, scoring the winner in the Mariners’ first win at home in 13 years with her maiden strike in the competition.
“It’s obviously been a long journey,” Rasmussen, who moved to Central Coast after spending the first nine to 10 years of her life in Sydney, told aleagues.com.au. “In the back of my mind, I was thinking if I wanted to play, I’d have to go to Sydney or somewhere else.
“But now that there’s a clear pathway, it’s really good. It’s good for other younger girls to see they don’t have to move anywhere else to play in the A-Leagues.
“I’m so happy I moved here. It’s such a different vibe to everywhere else.”
Rasmussen is another example of the pathway created in Gosford.
Whether it is the men’s team, or now the women’s side, there is an avenue for talented young players to develop and eventually progress through the ranks into the A-Leagues.
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“Looking back now, I’ve grown so much,” she reflected. “As you’re young coming up, you don’t feel like you change or not much is happening. But if I think of how I play and where I am now, compared to even a year or two ago, I’ve grown so much.
“Growing up, I was comfortable where I was. It probably doesn’t sound the best but when you’re young, you want to be with all your friends and with coaches you know.
“I remember my first coach in the NPL was my friend’s dad. I just felt like I knew everyone. I was playing with my best friends. We all went to the same high school.”
Rasmussen chalked off a childhood dream when she celebrated her first Liberty A-League goal.
The homegrown hero came off the bench and bagged the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Wellington Phoenix in Round 5.
“Honestly, I could not believe it,” Rasmussen recalled. “Even though it wasn’t some 40-yard banger, when it went in, I was like no way.
“Even after the game, what the hell just happened. Especially because it was a home game, playing against one of the best teams in the league and for it to be the winning goal too. After I scored, I couldn’t stop smiling. I actually had to stop, there’s still 15 minutes.”
Ramussen’s football has evolved in Gosford. Inspired by Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati and fellow Spanish star Alexia Putellas, she is her own biggest critic.
There were some early struggles but the talented teenager feels comfortable on the coast.
“Especially in the NPL and last year, I did feel a lot of pressure for some reason. I think it was pressure I put on myself,” she admitted.
“I felt like it was all eyes on me kind of thing. People expect a lot from me and I expect a lot of myself. Because you’re in the A-League, you have to do this, be the best at that… I feel like everyone, not judging, but looking at me.”
Rasmussen, whose mother is South African while her father is from the Cook Islands, added: “My coach Dan, he has coached a few A-League teams. I’m really close with him and he’d pull me aside a few times and say don’t think about that. You’re thinking too much in the future, just focus on now.
“I think at first I did struggle with that but as the season went on, the A-League is so far away, why am I even worrying about that? Don’t think about what everyone else things.
“I feel more comfortable now.”
Rasmussen’s debut season in the A-Leagues comes amid exciting times in women’s football following a history-making World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Matildas finished fourth at the showpiece event as the national team captured the hearts and minds of the Australian public. It has translated over to the Liberty A-League, with record-breaking crowds.
“After the World Cup, you could see football changed,” said Rasmussen. “Even the fans were more excited. It’s more the fans because fans make football. With no fans, it’s not the same.
“Even at our first game, it was big numbers. It was crazy. I’m so used to playing in front of 50 people and my mum, dad and brother. Then you look into the crowd and you’re like oh. I was so nervous. I’d never played in front of a big crowd like that.”
Having watched the World Cup, Rasmussen – who has started two of her six appearances this season, is dreaming of one day donning the Green and Gold.
“Matildas is the dream goal,” she said. “That’s the goal that just sits at the top and you have those little steps to walk towards.
“Obviously Young Matildas but just trying to focus on getting better and not looking too far ahead.”
