Emery playing for keeps at Stingrays
Recently named National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW goalkeeper of the month for April, Sophie Emery is a testament to the homegrown talent philosophy of the Illawarra Stingrays.
The 22-year-old is very grateful for the individual recognition, something goalkeepers don’t always receive.
“It’s really cool. I wasn’t expecting it at all, so it was a nice surprise,” says Emery.
A local to the South Coast, Emery has been with the Stingrays for seven seasons climbing through the ranks.
The young custodian loves the local supportive feel of the club which has everyone feeling like one big Illawarra Stingrays family.
“It’s great getting to represent the Illawarra because I’ve grown up here and played for the club now for a lot of years so it’s awesome just being able to represent my hometown.
“It feels like a big family there and being such a tight-knit community like back home in Berry, everyone’s supportive of the Stingrays because it’s their home team.”
Especially exciting for the Stingrays community is the news that they will finally have a permanent home for the first time in their history after securing $2 million to upgrade Lakelands Oval in Dapto.
Growing up in Berry, Emery loved the opportunities she had to represent NSW Country several times at the National Youth Championships.
“Getting to represent New South Wales Country was great, it was awesome for my development being in those training camps and getting to do that for a few years in a row, it was great.
“That was also around the time where I made the transition to the Stingrays, so I think the confidence from being in those camps and playing at that little bit higher level allowed me to have the transition into the NPL a bit better.”
She believes that having dedicated opportunities for country players is great for the development of female football in regional NSW.
“Yeah, I think it’s really great because when you live out of Sydney, it’s hard, especially the further out you go, it’s really hard to get those opportunities to play at that highest level.
“It’s also a great little bit of rivalry, like it gets the girls going because everyone wants to beat the Metro girls and it’s a lot of fun.”
Being goalkeeper would be a daunting position for many, and whilst Emery still gets nervous before games, she certainly acts fearless when in command of the goal.
“You never really get over the nerves, at least I’ve found that I thought I’d be getting more settled into walking out there and playing but I’m as just nervous before every game.
“I definitely do feel the pressure back there, it’s a pretty lonely spot sometimes, but it’s all right, it’s just a fun position and I couldn’t picture myself playing in any other spot now.”
The Stingrays’ goal for 2024 is to take the club back to the finals, a spot they haven’t found themselves in since 2019.
“Oh, definitely we want to make the finals, especially after seeing our reserve team reaching that point last year, it was huge for the club and then with the start that both grades have had this year, we’d love to be part of it and push for that again.”
With the positive results and exciting news about the new home at Lakelands Oval, Emery is eager for her future with the Illawarra Stingrays.
“The club is awesome, it’s a big family and I really couldn’t imagine playing for anyone else now.”
-By Annabelle Banfield
