Ahead of her 15th Ninja A-League season, CommBank Matildas and Canberra United legend Michelle Heyman shares the secrets to her incredible longevity with aleagues.com.au, and the simple but effective motivation behind her international renaissance.
At 36 years of age, Michelle Heyman is proof that it’s easy to stay at the top of your game when you have so much to play for.
The Canberra United legend and born-again CommBank Matildas superstar is raring to go ahead of her 15th season in the Ninja A-League and if you’re astounded by her longevity, you’re right to be.
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It’s been 16 years since her very first game in the Ninja A-League and on current form, there’s simply no sign of slowing down for an A-Leagues icon motivated to sustain her international renaissance while firing Canberra United back to its former glory.
“My goals are always very simple, and very similar to every other year,” Heyman told aleagues.com.au.
“To be the leading goalscorer, that’s always my mindset. I want to be the best I can be in that position – and of course, I want finals football. I want a trophy.
“Trophies mean a lot to me and have always been a bit of an inspiration since I was a little kid, to collect more trophies than what my dad had. I still have that in my mind.
“Outside of A-Leagues, it’s definitely to be called into every national team camp that I can, stay healthy and keep playing the game I love, and enjoy the experiences I keep getting because one day it’s going to be over, and it’s going to be sad!”
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Heyman returns to the Ninja A-League having ticked off two major career goals in 2023-24; last season, Heyman became the first player to breach the 100-goal mark in the Ninja A-League, won the competition’s Golden Boot award and as a result, came back from international retirement amid eight years away from the international setup.
Her Matildas comeback story was a fairytale in itself, but the story didn’t end there. Heyman was selected in Australia’s Paris 2024 Olympic squad and despite the campaign ending in disappointment for Australia, Heyman did provide the match-winner in the nation’s incredible 6-5 win over Zambia in a now-famous group stage classic.
Heyman will feature in the Matildas’ two international friendlies this month against Switzerland and Germany before returning to Canberra for Round 1 of the Ninja A-League season.
With her Matildas status restored, Heyman says her position as Canberra’s taliswoman has taken on new meaning as she leads a young and hungry squad filled with players eager to pick her brain to find out exactly what it takes to make it in the national team.
“It’s really hard to put into words how proud I am of myself for achieving what I did last season, and to continue that on getting called back up by the Matildas and going to the Olympics again when I never thought that would be a possibility,” Heyman said.
“I really like the feeling of being a part of the Matildas again, I’m really enjoying that culture of being around those players, learning and growing as an individual at the top of my game.
“I’m taking a lot from it, and trying to bring that back here to Canberra. It definitely shows within my game; I am an experienced player, and I think we all saw that during the Olympics, just coming off the bench as a sub and bringing my knowledge of what I can bring to a football game within an Olympic campaign.
“It was a big joy for me to be a part of, and to be successful in the games I got to play, I think I did quite well. I want to bring that into these training sessions, and that’s kind of what I’ve been doing.
“I know a lot of the players look up to me, and it’s very cute. Because I’m still just Michelle from Shellharbour, I’m still just a kid that loves to play football and I never see myself as anything other than that.
“It’s another gift I get to be able to help others, hopefully, they can achieve their goals and they can ask me questions, and I can give them hopefully the right answers, and hopefully inspire them to continue to push for greatness – because it can happen.
“You don’t have to be playing overseas to be playing for your country. This league is great, it’s a great place for any young player to get noticed and recognised by the national team.”
Heyman and the Matildas face Switzerland on Saturday, October 26 and Germany on Tuesday, October 29 (AEDT) in the first international window since the departure of former head coach Tony Gustavsson.
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Football Australia has appointed Tom Sermanni as interim boss of the national team while the hunt for a permanent head coach continues.
Sermanni was in charge of the Matildas in 2010 and was responsible for handing Heyman her very first senior international cap.
“I’m super excited,” said Heyman of Sermanni’s appointment.
“Anyone who knows Tommy, you know what you’re going to get from him. He’s an extremely bubbly human who wants greatness but is just easy to talk to as well, and he did give me my first-ever international game. He also said no to me a lot of times! So there was also that. But he made me grow up as a player.
“I went overseas to play in Denmark because he told me I needed to get international experience to help my career. He gave me a lot of guidance throughout my football career and he’s been there my entire journey, if it was for the national team or on the sidelines at the Wanderers, he was still a part of women’s football.
“One thing with Tommy is he knows Australian football. He knows the Matildas. He knows every single player within that team and he knows their strengths.
“He’s going to bring a different style of football into our next camps, and our next games, but I think it’s going to be a very positive style of football and I’m very excited to get back in there and enjoy the time under his watch.”
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The managerial situation is no different in club land for Heyman, who will return from the current international camp to finalise season preparations under Canberra’s new head coach, Antoni Jagarinec.
It’s been a transitional off-season for Canberra with the arrival of eight new signings and the loss of first-team mainstays Chloe Lincoln, Sasha Grove, Vesna Milivojevic, Emma Ilijoski and Nickoletta Flannery – but Heyman remains buoyant about her club’s chances of impressing in Jagarinec’s first season at the helm.
“I’m feeling really positive,” Heyman said.
“The team is already starting to gel really nicely and this is the first year we’ve got a large new number of squad members as well.
“Our coaching staff are incredible people, and very open and honest with everything we’re doing. We’re trying really hard to focus on ourselves as individuals, and how to work with each other.
“For people who know the A-League Women, Canberra has been one of those clubs that was successful in the beginning years and as of late, we haven’t been. So we’re all on that path to try and make Canberra great again and be a top contender in this league. That was our normal – and personally, I’d like to be back on that side of things as well.”
The 2024-25 Ninja A-League season is Heyman’s 12th at Canberra United, and as the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) continues discussions with a preferred consortium for a new A-leagues license in Canberra, Heyman hopes the club can showcase the very best of what the region has to offer top-flight football in Australia.
“I would do anything for this club, I love this club and I want it to be successful,” she said.
“I know if you were to ask any player that has played for Canberra and is currently playing for a different A-League team, I think they’d all tell you the same thing: how beautiful the culture is at Canberra United, and how much we are a family.
“To see that disappear would be pure shock. I think it would ruin the football community here in Canberra. We are the number one sport here in the ACT, we have more women playing now than ever and for them not to have anyone to look up to, or no professional team to try and (become) a part of, it would be quite upsetting.
“Hopefully people jump on board and we can help save football here in Canberra and continue to grow a legacy, a club that can last forever.”
Heyman and Canberra begin the 2024-25 Ninja A-League season with a home clash against Brisbane Roar at McKellar Park on Saturday, November 2.
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