Isabelle Campbell 31/05/25
Above: Steph Catley (right) celebrates the Champions League. Photo: Arsenal Football Club
Returning home after Arsenal’s UEFA Women’s Champions League triumph, Steph Catley is still processing the scale of what she and her teammates achieved. The moment that saw three Matildas achieve European glory.
“It’s been a big few days, biggest of my life, my career, I would say,” said Catley in a media conference. “Something I’ve dreamed of my entire career, it’s the pinnacle of football and being able to do it alongside my two Aussies and just being part of Arsenal and being that club in England to do it again, it’s very, very special.
“And then, to come back here and celebrate with the Tillies and all the girls has been really lovely.”
Back in camp with the national team, the shift from celebrating to preparing for matches has come quickly. Catley, finding out from the media that interim coach Tom Sermanni shared his plans to start the Arsenal trio in Canberra on Monday night.
“Did he just? Okay, he hasn’t told me that,” she said with a laugh. “I mean, I feel good. Obviously, we have had a big couple of days it’s obviously a long way to travel and we only travelled a few days ago.”
“But I’ll be ready and the girls will be ready. It’s the end of the season, so it’s not like we’re unfit or not ready to play. We’re definitely ready to play.”
“It’d be nice to get back on the field again. I’m not a very good sub. I don’t like sitting on the bench. I get a bit antsy. So I’m happy to play.”
The emotions of the win haven’t faded, and for Catley, they may not for quite some time.
“It’s a massive high. I don’t know that we’ve necessarily come down. I think it’ll stay with us for a long time.”
“The recovery’s been interesting because, straight on a plane to Australia isn’t the easiest way to go about it. But it’s something that I don’t think I’ll come down from for a very long time.”
Now, with an Asian Cup on home soil fast approaching, Catley said the experience of winning the Champions League has only heightened her ambition to bring silverware home in the green and gold.
“I think it just gives you a little taste of what’s possible, being at a club like Arsenal, I always believed we were capable of doing it, but actually doing it is a whole other thing.”
“And especially when you’re coming up against a team like Barcelona, sometimes it feels quite far away. But to actually do it, it just makes me sort of think of my career and think about the things that I really want to achieve.”
“And winning silverware with the Matildas has always been top of my list.”
She’s determined to bring that success into the national team setup following what she admits to have been a tough few years.
“I’ve got the taste of trophies and that would mean a lot to me if we were able to do that. I think it’s good for at least the three of us to have the taste of that and to be able to lead that success and that hunt for success for our team.”
Catley’s leadership and recent success have already had an impact on the national camp. Debutant and goalscorer Kahli Johnson spoke on how much of a boost it was to have the Arsenal girls return fresh from victory.
“You see a player like Kahli [Johnson] come in tonight and she looks like she’s been in our team for a few years. We’re still finding gems like that and I think coming into a major tournament, that’s the most important thing you can do, try to have a bit of depth there and some competition.”
“If we can inspire any girls at any level in this country to go out and want to be a Matilda, then that is our main job and that’s what we want to be doing.”
Exactly a year before Arsenal’s historic win in Lisbon, the team had been in Melbourne playing a relaxed postseason friendly. Catley looked back on the stark contrast between those two moments.
“It’s pretty amazing. It’s two very different scenarios. We were looking at photos from that tour before playing the game and how different the situations were, that we were in our postseason, just having a great time in Melbourne compared to being in Lisbon, about to play the Champions League.”
From a relaxed postseason friendly in Melbourne to lifting the Champions League trophy in Lisbon, Steph Catley has experienced a remarkable journey over the past year.
This victory has only strengthened her desire to achieve more, both with Arsenal and the Matildas. For Catley, the Champions League win is a milestone, but not the final destination.
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