Shea Connors

A-LEAGUE WOMENS Player - Born in 1996 from Connecticut, USA

In the 2023/2024 season, I made the big move from Brisbane Roar down to play for the reigning champions of the A-League, Sydney FC. Moving away was difficult, as I had spent the four years prior in Brisbane, which felt like home at the time. Moving is always difficult, and making new friends is daunting at times. I soon settled and everything started off great! I loved my friends and my team, but then my season took a difficult turn days before Christmas. At a match-day-minus-one training, I was tackled badly and broke my foot in 2 places. 

I felt like my season was over. It felt like my rehab was taking forever.I was out over three months. During this time, we also had catch-up games, so I also missed twice the amount of games I normally would have. Recovery felt very isolating, and having to stay inside while everyone trained was difficult. I felt really alone at times. 

I leaned on my support system: my friends and teammates who refused to let me be alone, even if I felt like it. I got back to work with my rehab once the bones had healed, and worked on getting stronger, both physically and mentally. Once back at training, I had to put in a ton of work to get back into the match-day squad. 

I was only getting time off of the bench, but was making the most of it, helping our team make the Grand Final. To have such a rough season and to make the Grand Final felt amazing … but I was still on the bench. It was hard to process. My time away from the pitch hadn’t allowed me to break into that starting 11, but I didn’t let it stop my focus or drive. 

Less than 2 minutes from being subbed on to the Grand Final, I scored the winning goal - with my first touch! To go from being in such a dark place, to scoring the winning goal in the Grand Final … was surreal. It showed me that after dark, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Hard work does pay off in the end, even when it might feel like it won’t at the time. Trust the process. Everything does always work out in the end.