In this week’s ‘WA On Wednesday’ feature, Ben Gilby speaks to UWA-Nedlands’ Michaela Thawley who has brought experience from playing in America and Spain to the NPLW WA’s newest club (14/8/24)
Above: Michaela Thawley (green shirt in possession) in action during UWA-Nedlands’ first NPLW WA match against Hyundai NTC – a game in which she scored. Photo supplied to Impetus by: UWA-Nedlands.
Michaela Thawley is a player who will go down in UWA-Nedlands history. The scorer of their first-ever NPLW WA goal.
“Mackenzie Rastatter took a beautiful touch and struck the ball right into the pocket for me to run on too. From there I saw the NTC keeper had been pretty far off her line with two defenders coming on my back, so I decided to chip/ lob it over and it ended up working out.”
It ended up working out in some style – it was quite a goal, and Thawley is quite a player – one who has caught the eye across the 2024 season. The UWA-Nedlands star sees herself as a player who is fully focussed on the attack with the team ethic central to all she does.
“I am a highly competitive and determined athlete. I love to be challenged in my game and am always looking for ways to improve on my weaknesses. On the field, a lot of my play is very technical and quick. I love the ball at my feet and taking players on one v one. I am constantly looking for space on the field and how I can make use of the area. I also love to get my whole team involved in plays. I look to work off my teammates and offer support whether it’s a one-two pass or a through ball. My brain is always thinking and scanning what plays I can do to help my teammates succeed.
Her current status as an NPLW WA player is a long way away from where her footballing journey started back in the USA – something she reflected on with me.
“My parents introduced me to football at the age of three. In America, typically children play recreational football until they are 10 and then move to the higher leagues, which is exactly what I did. My dad coached my recreational team from five to 10 years old until he realised it was time for me to take the step up.
From there I played with three different traveling club teams Breakers FC, Marin FC, and North-Bay Timbers FC. The most successful being North-Bay Timbers. We were ranked number one nationally and got to attend a regional tournament in Hawaii. While club football is typically played throughout the majority of the year, the team breaks during winter to play high school ball.
“I got to play for Marin Catholic High School from grades nine-12, where we placed second in the league for two out of four of those years. During this time I also had the opportunity to play on the Olympic Development team for the United States at both the state and regional level.
“Out of club and high school, I got recruited to play in college, which had been a dream of mine since I started playing. I committed to Knox College, a Division Three school, during my senior year of high school. I started and played all games throughout my four years at Knox. Here, my team won the league, the Midwest Conference Tournament, and got the opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament, which is one of the biggest accomplishments an athlete in America can get.
“The other two years we came first in league play but unfortunately didn’t make it to the NCAA tournament. After my senior year at Knox, I knew I wasn’t finished with football so I took an extra year due to Covid and committed to Dominican University in Chicago. Here I was able to receive all-conference honours as well as help my team get first in the league. A bonus at Dominican was being able to play a year with one of my younger sisters, which was special for my family and me. Again, I knew I wanted more time with football so I started to seek more opportunities.
“I got recruited to play in Spain directly out of college but, before heading to Spain, I got the opportunity to play semi-professional football with the SF Nighthawks. They are one of the oldest established clubs in the WPSL who play all around California. After a season in San Francisco, I headed to FC Malaga City Femenino. This is a club in Spain that competes in the 3a RFEF, the fifth tier of the women’s game.
“Playing in Spain was an absolute dream, not only did I get to travel around Europe but I also got to compete and train with some of the best teams and players around the world. I had the opportunity to play against Real Betis and got trained a few times by the Tottenham Hotspur coaching staff.
“Spain’s style of play is very possession-based while keeping a quick tempo. They love playing out of the back with the ball at their feet. The coaches instill patience into their players by waiting for the right time to attack once the other team has been deconstructed by the movement of the ball. This team challenged me both mentally and physically in the best way possible and ultimately made me a better player.
“Our practice schedule was very intense, our team practiced five days a week with one or two games weekly. With this practice schedule, I improved my football IQ and my first touch. Accurate passing is a huge aspect of the Spanish game, which I improved on during my time in Spain as well.
“After competing with the team for five months, I met my agent Ryan with Playsport Agency and he connected me with UWA Nedlands and my coach, Lawrence Lewis, which has been an amazing experience thus far.”
Thawley’s successes in both America and Spain before joining UWA-Nedlands have come after having to prove the doubters among her previous coaches wrong.
“Growing up I was never the strongest or the tallest athlete, which a lot of athletes are in America. This made a lot of coaches sceptical about choosing me to be on teams because they thought I would get pushed around. This ended up being a blessing in disguise because it pushed me to prove people wrong and work hard for something that I loved.
“I would have the ball at my feet for hours during the day. Whether it be by myself against a wall, going to the gym to get stronger, or playing pick-up with local men’s players, I was so determined to prove those coaches wrong and prove that I was worth taking a chance on. What I lacked in height I made up for by practicing my technical and speed ability.
Thawley’s arrival in Western Australia initially came about after discussions with one of her teammates in Spain, Nikolina Musto – and little did she know initially that that chat would take her to the other side of the world.
“I expressed to her that I wanted to keep going with football. She and I had extensive conversations about playing in higher leagues in different countries. She would always tell me her stories of playing in Iceland and Greece and I knew that I wanted something similar to her experience with the game. My agent Ryan and I worked together to find the best team for me both as an athlete and a person, which is how I ended up at UWA-Nedlands.
“Australia is an up-and-coming area for women’s football, which I think is what attracted me to the area. One of my goals in my football career has always been to promote the women’s game. I just think a lot of the time women’s programs are underappreciated and overlooked. With the recent success of the Matildas and the rapidly growing women’s programs, I thought Australia would be the perfect place to promote the women’s game and pave the way to inspire female athletes at home to play internationally.
“On top of this Australia is a beautiful country to be in and it has always been a place that I have wanted to at least visit, if not live in. Being from California, I enjoy the sunshine and beach. Perth is very similar to where I live which makes me feel at home.”
Moving so far away from home always comes with its challenges, but Thawley feels her club went above and beyond to make her settling-in period as seamless as possible.
“Moving to a new place, let alone a new country is always challenging. But lucky for me everyone at UWANFC has gone above and beyond to make the Americans on the team feel welcomed and at home. I am so grateful to have the support of UWANFC families such as the Watkins and Quantrills, who have brought us in as their own and helped us get on our feet as we figure out everything in Perth. The club has gone above and beyond to make us feel welcome.
“Lawrence and Salv (Todaro) are both amazing coaches. Their knowledge of the game is amazing and they are the kind of coaches who support their players on and off the field. Lawrence encourages the team to make mistakes in practice and to learn from them. Within my few months here I already feel like I have improved as a player under their coaching.
In terms of our team, the UWANFC girls are some of the most supportive and positive girls I have ever had the privilege of working with. Our team is a little family. High standards are set for our team and upheld throughout our team and club. We care about each other on and off the field and will do anything to see each other succeed.”
A debut season in the NPLW for UWA-Nedlands has been one that has been challenging, but the side has been competitive and are more than capable of retaining their status for another season at least.
Their inaugural NPLW campaign began with a home game with Hyundai NTC – where Thawley went down in history as the scorer of the club’s first-ever goal in the league. It’s something that is a source of huge pride for the attacker.
“It is an absolute honour to score the club’s first-ever goal in the NPLW. Talking with the team, I know how special it is from a club standpoint to finally be in the NPLW after a lot of hard work. The game was a big day for everyone and with the number of supporters, the team wanted to show everyone what we have been working on since pre-season.
“I made it an individual goal to score during that game the night before. At the end of the first half, we were down 2-0 and I knew we needed something to keep us in that game before the half ended. Mackenzie Rastatter and I come from the same area in California and both played for the same semi-professional team in the US. We have an amazing chemistry on and off the field.
“I won the ball back from NTC in the midfield area. I scanned and saw everyone was pretty much marked moving forward, so decided to play it back to Mackenzie who had a lot of time in space in the back line. As I turned I saw a pocket of space between the two NTC centre defenders and decided to make a run-through as our striker had dropped during transition.
“Mackenzie took a beautiful touch and struck the ball right into the pocket for me to run on too. From there I saw the NTC keeper had been pretty far off her line with two defenders coming on my back, so I decided to chip/ lob it over and it ended up working out. The feeling after scoring is always amazing. You feel so accomplished as a player and feel as if you’re making an impact on your team. It was really special to celebrate with my team afterwards with hugs and high fives. We had been working so hard for that moment all game.”
Thawley is not one to rest on her laurels and is determined that the club to be a competitive force in the division.
“As a team, our goal is to show that we belong in the NPLW and can hang with the best teams in the league. Being the first team to be promoted to the NPLW, we came in as the underdogs of the league and have a lot to prove. We are one determined team and our team goal is to stay in this league.”
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