With Women’s Football Round this weekend, profiling the role that women play in our favourite sport, it was the perfect time to catch up with Chloe Logarzo to talk about a subject close to her heart: women’s football in rural Australia.
At the age of 23, Chloe has achieved so much at home and in the international arena. She is known for her amazing work on the pitch as the Matildas’ talented midfielder and whilst currently focused – like the rest of her teammates - on preparing for the World Cup in France next year, is also making a name for herself on the coaching circuit with the clinics that she runs for up and coming young players. She is very excited about the work that she’s doing, sharing, “It’s nice to do rewarding work outside of football and off the pitch”
It’s a very personal subject for Chloe; growing up she had very supportive parents who gave her every opportunity to focus on her sport (and passion) but knows that this is not always the case and some girls aren’t as lucky; she also believes that outside of major cities, there are fewer opportunities and girls are prospectively falling through the cracks. She doesn’t want talent to be missed and plans to shine a spotlight on these rural areas and make a difference.
And it’s so important to her that she’s setting up her own charity to do just that. Whilst it’s still in its inception, she’s already out in the community raising awareness, hosting a fundraiser on Saturday night to help fund a clinic in rural Queensland in January, which will host 150 kids. With the proceeds of the evening, she hopes to also help 20 indigenous kids take part in the clinic, so that they can have opportunities that previously wouldn’t have been an option.
Saturday night is all about raising money and awareness (and hopefully some sponsors – some exciting household brands have already expressed an interest in supporting Chloe and the work that she’s doing) and her larger goal is to be in a position to sponsor 10 kids through her charity next year, so that she can give them the individual support that they need. And it won’t just be all about technical skills, she will help them with goal setting and motivational techniques as she believes that her winning mindset has played a big role in her success.
So, what will Chloe look for when selecting these 10 lucky young players? “Self-belief, desire, dedication and a willingness to sacrifice “, she answers immediately; qualities that people shouldn’t underestimate. She knows from personal experience that a career in professional football requires all of these things!
Good luck for Saturday Chloe, we know that it will be a cracking event!