by Ben Carey (10/1/24).
Above: Emma Checker – a key component in Melbourne Victory’s squad. Photo: Emma Checker Instagram.
What a year 2023 was for Emma Checker. She graduated from university, witnessed a World Cup in her backyard, signed with a new club, and got married. Many of us might hope to achieve just one of those things in a year, but Checker did all of them and more.
A few days after the World Cup ended, Checker announced that she would be leaving Melbourne City, after four years of playing for the club, and signing with crosstown rival, Melbourne Victory.
“It was a really tough move and decision to make,” the player said. “But it’s like any relationship or contract or dynamic, some things aren’t made to last forever, and things change as you go.” Checker felt that she had reached a point in her career where change was necessary. Signing with Victory was an important change, and also an exciting one. But it wasn’t the first time she’d played for Melbourne Victory.
Checker was born in Ashford, a suburb of Adelaide. She made her senior debut for Adelaide United in 2011, when she was just 15 years old (and just a year later she made her debut for the Matildas). She played for the Reds for two seasons, before moving to Victoria where she first played for Melbourne Victory. “Victory was the first club I moved to Melbourne for, so it wasn’t completely unfamiliar to me, and playing under a coach like Jeff (Hopkins) and back at Victory was something that at the time was right and has proven to be a really good decision for me.”
She played for two seasons at Melbourne Victory before trying her luck further north in Canberra. In 2017, after two seasons with Canberra United, she embarked on her first overseas adventure, signing with South Korean powerhouse, Hyundai Steel Red Angels, who, at that point, had won the WK League in Korea four times in a row. Sadly, she was only able to play a few games with her new club before she succumbed to a knee injury. After the injury, she returned home to play for Adelaide United for another two years, before making the move back to Melbourne and signing with Melbourne City in 2019.
Her first season at Melbourne City was a “massive highlight” for Checker. “It taught me so much about being a professional, and being in the environment that we had that year, it was incredible. We had a starting lineup of all internationally capped players, whether it be for the Matildas, or you know, their respective countries.”
The defender played in all 14 matches and was an essential part of City’s defensive line. They would go on to win both the Premiership and Championship. “That year was something really special and it recreated my interest and excitement around trying to really break back into the Matildas environment.”
Checker cherished her time at Melbourne City and felt like she grew a lot as a player during her time there. “I learned so much at Melbourne City and some of the greatest parts of my career and greatest success have come from being there,” she said. “Those four years were really special, and I will always hold them really closely to me.”
One of the things that Checker found most difficult about leaving City, was saying goodbye to the friends she had made at the club. “I think it’s one of the hardest parts of sport,” she said. “I’ve got some really special relationships and friendships there that were hard to feel like I was walking away from.”
There was one person in particular that the star found it very difficult to part with, veteran City goalkeeper and Matildas legend, Melissa Barbieri. “Bubs is one of my closest and greatest friends. So, I think sharing the locker room with her for so many years was actually…it was a really sad part of the move. But in saying that, relationships like that don’t change,” Checker said. “I think what you learn in life is that the strong friendships always last.”
During the dramatic 2022 semifinal clash between Melbourne City and Sydney FC, there was a moment in the match where Barbieri’s shoelaces came undone and because of her gloves, she was unable to tie them up herself. Without a second thought, the defender kneeled down and tied them up for her. I asked her about that beautiful and wholesome moment. “[Barbieri] is a special friend,” Checker said lovingly. “And in sport and life, it’s rare to meet someone like her, so I would do up her shoelaces any day of the week.”
So, after her four special years with Melbourne City, the South Australian decided to return to the dark side (dark blue that is). It certainly could have been a daunting proposition, returning there after almost 10 years of playing with rival clubs. The majority of the players at Victory were not there when Checker had first played for the club. Most of them are players that she’s come up against for the last four years in Melbourne City colours.
“There was a part of me that was a little bit nervous about the move, because obviously, you know, you’re going to the opposing side. And it’s a derby setup, so there was a part of me that was a little bit worried.” But it turned out that there was nothing to worry about. “It’s honestly been one of the easiest transitions I’ve ever made, and that comes down to the girls,” Checker said. “They were so welcoming and just, you know, they wrapped me up from the day I walked in.”
The defender’s close friendship with Emily Gielnik also made the move a lot easier. “Em Gielnik has always been someone I’ve absolutely adored, and we roomed together in one of my more recent national team camps. And so having her sign at the club was massive for me and it was comforting as well, to be honest, knowing that I would have that close connection.”
One of the biggest factors that drew Checker to Melbourne Victory was the culture of the club, one that head coach, Jeff Hopkins, has been building since 2016. Working with Hopkins was another factor that led the player back to Victory. “I’ve always had a really good relationship with Jeff despite having never played for him. We’ve been in touch when I’ve been off contract in the past, so it was the right time to really consider that as an option,” Checker said.
“Playing under Jeff was something important to me as a defender. I felt like even though I’ve been around the game for a long time, being coached by someone who played my position has been a really great learning opportunity for me, and it’s also taught me that you’re never done learning.”
For the South Australian, the external leadership of Hopkins was important, but so too was the internal leadership. Already, Checker has come to admire Victory’s captain, Kayla Morrison. “One of the most special dynamics I feel like I’ve built has been in playing with Kayla. I think that we’re both very different in how we play, but for me, she’s a really special player. She’s a great leader, and I think we’ve combined really well so far. And I’m loving being her teammate rather than playing against her.”
It was a tough start to the season for Melbourne Victory, narrowly losing their first two matches to Brisbane Roar and Western United. Victory actually led Western at half-time after Checker scored her opening goal for the campaign, however United were too strong in the second half, scoring two goals. The defender felt that the disjointed, five-week pre-season was particularly tough for Victory, as well as having several young players away on Young Matildas duties and a few very experienced players either out with injury (Gielnik) or away for the international window (Lydia Williams and Elise Kellond-Knight).
“We had a lot of our senior experience girls come into the mix late,” Checker said. “Now that we’ve got the core group together and we have time together, it makes such a huge difference. Like anything, you can’t bring a group together that haven’t been together before and expect it to be perfect, after a month. It just doesn’t work like that.”
After the loss to Western United in October, Victory went on a six-match unbeaten run, recapturing their championship winning form. I asked Checker what the secret was to that transformation. “I think just getting to know each other and understanding the way we all operate is something that is starting to come together, and we all believed right from the get-go that if the first few weeks were hard, that we were good enough to make it through,” Checker said. “But we also always had the belief after the first couple of games that even though the results weren’t what we were after that we were capable of doing a lot more.” Ironically, it was Checker’s former club, Melbourne City, that would end Victory’s unbeaten run with a tight 1-0 win at home.
Checker’s signing with Melbourne Victory came just days after the most successful World Cup in history. From one victory to another. The player was blown away by the quality of the tournament. “It was incredible” she said. “I felt like I set a high bar for what I expected from the tournament. I think a lot of people did, but I don’t think any of us can even reflect and say that we anticipated it truly being as big as it was.”
Checker attended the send-off match against France just before the World Cup where the Matildas set a new home crowd record of 50,629. Just under a week later, she was at Stadium Australia for the Matildas’ opening World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland. This match smashed the previous record, seeing a capacity crowd of 75,784 people attend the match.
“It was really pleasing to see that we had such an untapped space in terms of, you know, people’s attraction to watching not only women’s sport but women’s football. For so long it felt like we were fighting really hard to gain traction and gain interest, but the interest has been there, we just hadn’t tapped into it.”
Attending these matches at the World Cup made the defender realise what a huge and monumental moment in women’s sport this was. “Seeing not only young girls, with the likes of, you know, Ellie Carpenter on their back, but having young boys also now knowing these as household names. That’s such a pivotal moment for women’s sport in Australia. And I think it’s hard to go back from here. We’ve now set a new bar and I think it also has been really great for not only football but for other female codes as well to realise what we are capable of.”
I asked Checker if it was difficult, as a capped Matilda, to be in the stands watching, instead of out on the field playing. “I think for a long time yes,” she said. “I never managed to really cement a spot. For me, it was it was over a decade of being in and out. It was really tough…emotionally and psychologically. There was so much to deal with for such a long time and I did struggle sitting in the stands for the most part of my career within the team.”
At one point in her career, te defender had become so obsessed with cementing her place in the Matildas squad that it was severely impacting her life and mental health. “I have tried to detach myself a little bit emotionally from it because it became quite damaging for how I was feeling and how it impacted me in life to be honest with you,” Checker said. “I had to learn to separate myself somewhat from how important that was to me because it started to feel like for my whole life…every moment had revolved around me trying to make that team.”
During the off-season at Melbourne City, Checker often signed with overseas clubs to make a bit more money and stay fit, but to also continue being a serious contender for the Matildas squad. From 2020 to 2022, the South Australian spent time at clubs in France, Iceland, and Sweden. Although she had many positive experiences and successes overseas, she also experienced a lot of tough times as well.
After her time in Sweden, she realised that the most valuable things in her life would always be in Australia. “It was a hard decision to come to, but at the same time, there were parts of it that became really easy for me with my life away from the field and how that was changing. It’s not something that I’m willing to sacrifice anymore, doing long distance and being away like that.”
Checker has now reached an age where she can see the big picture in terms of her career and the Matildas. “You can almost see in a different way than you used to, and I think the lens that I had going into the World Cup was very different. I was able to really see it for what it was and just and feel the excitement. And it ended up being a really enjoyable experience for me in a way that I probably wouldn’t have been capable of as my younger self.”
High quality centre backs are always in high demand, and some key Matildas centre backs, such as Clare Polkinghorne and Aivi Luik are in the twilight of their careers, so there will definitely be spots that open up for younger (but still extremely experienced) players such as Checker. Although being a part of the Matildas is still an ambition she has, it isn’t the centre of her life as it used to be. “My approach now is that I do everything in my control, and if it happens, it happens. But I’m not so attached to the outcome,” Checker said. “I give my best in every game and every training and whatever my best brings is a bonus.”
It seems like there have been a lot of bonuses in Checker’s life recently. After she married her long-term partner, Mandy, in September, the newlyweds went on a dream honeymoon in New Zealand. “We honestly had the time of our lives,” she said. “It was honestly everything I could have ever hoped for. We had a really special time doing exactly what we loved, which was being in the outdoors, eating well, hiking, going on bike rides. I think that most people would look from the outside and think there’s absolutely nothing relaxing about that,” Checker laughed. “But we spent it in our way.”
Checker now lives with her partner Mandy, and her two children. Not only is she a professional footballer, but she has also been studying for the past six years and has been co-parenting as well. “It’s a balance and a juggle that I’m not perfect at and never will be,” the Melbourne Victory star said. “But honestly, it’s been one of the greatest challenges and most rewarding changes that I’ve ever experienced in my life.” I asked her whether having kids was anything like marshalling a backline. “I would say I’m much better at marshalling a backline than kids, that’s for sure,” Checker laughed.
Mandy and her kids have helped her broaden her perspective on life and taught her a lot about her priorities. “As a footballer you can kind of operate a lot in your own lane, not in a selfish way but you’re so busy thinking about looking after your body, doing everything right for yourself, it’s very almost tunnel vision in a sense in the way that you approach your life,” Checker reflected.
“So, once I met Mandy and started being involved with her kids, just your outlook kind of changes and priorities change, and your perspective becomes a lot more broad. While it has been tough, it’s also been one of the most incredible challenges that I’ve ever faced and it’s changed my life in many ways, and I’m really grateful to have them in my life.”
Another important thing that helped the South Australian expand her perspective was studying. In June, she graduated from Deakin University with a Bachelor of Business, majoring in public relations. For Checker, it has always been important to be doing something on the side, besides playing football, to remind her that life is bigger than football and that she is much more than just an athlete. “Studying always created a space for me to feel like I was more than just a footballer,” she said. “Graduating and doing well within my degree was something that was really important to me so that I felt like I did have value within myself beyond just being on the pitch.”
As for the future, Checker is not sure yet what area of business she would like to work in after her football career, but she’s enjoying the process of finding things that spark her interest, no matter where they lie. “I’m ready to tap into as many different things as possible to work out what is right for me long term,” she said. “I think for a long time I felt like I could only ever work in the sporting space. But I think now as I get older, I realise that there are so many other opportunities outside of the world that I’ve always known.”
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