Lydia Williams Biography, Stats, Teams, Salary and Net Worth

Lydia Williams is a popular Australian football player, widely regarded as one of the most successful and skilled goalkeepers in the world, not just in the female league. She has come a long way from her humble beginnings to establishing herself as a phenomenal shot stop. Since she was only 16, she has been active in the world of top-level football and has won several honors and achievements for her goalkeeping efforts.

Despite becoming a goalkeeper by accident, Lydia had shown herself truly remarkable both on and off the pitch. She holds herself and her teammates to high standards and, over the years, has emerged as a leader for club and country, as well as an avid proponent for change in the world of women’s sports. She is one of the most vocal members of the players union, fighting for equality and improvements in the standards of women’s sports, such as the weak points in the way they’re trained. Her authority and experience have helped shape every team she has ever been in.

Lydia Williams Biography

Lydia was born on May 13, 1988, in Katanning, a small dusty town on the outskirts of Perth, to an Aboriginal tribal leader and an Oklahoma-born mother. She spent her early years in Kalgoorlie, a remote mining town, although much of that time was spent traveling around indigenous communities in rural areas of Western Australia because her parents worked as missionaries. They were constantly on the road and never stayed anywhere for more than a few months.

This lifestyle meant that Lydia had to change schools often and make do with homeschooling at other times. She began to kick improvised balls along the red dirt of this desert region with other indigenous kids and discovered that she loved football.

When she was 11 years old, her family moved to Canberra, where she signed up to play in the local football club. Although she wanted to play in a position that allowed her to kick the ball around regularly, the goalkeeper was the only spot that wasn’t filled so she was given the role. Although it was intended to be s temporary thing, Lydia saved a spectacular penalty in her first game, and the coach announced that she would remain the goalkeeper. Less than five years later, she was a full-fledged member of the national team.

The rising talent was lucky to have a great coach in the person of Paul Jones, who kept a watchful eye on her every step of the way. Lydia earned a spot in the Australian Institute of Sports Football Program. Lydia Williams made her first appearance wearing national colors against South Korea. She went on to represent her beloved country in the 2006 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, 2006 FIFA U-20 World Women’s Championship, 2007 Women’s World Cup, 2008 AFF Women’s Championship, 2016 AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and 2017 Tournament of Nations.

The Australian goalkeeping sensation has won several awards and recognition including a 2006 Deadly Award for Female Sportsperson of the Year, making history as one of the youngest recipients to ever receive the honor. She has also been named W-League Goalkeeper of the year in 2011 as well as in 2016.

Style of Play

There’s a reason Lydia Williams is respected as a top-flight goalie. Whenever she is at the goal post, she is always taking control and barking orders like an army general. She is the strongest line of defense on her team because nothing very few things can get past her. Lydia is not afraid to throw her body to save a goal and she has some this several times, even at the cost of multiple knee injuries. Her secret to success is playing every game, even in training, like it is going to be her last.

Teams and Stats

Lydia began playing football in local clubs like Tuggeranong and Woden, before joining the Australian Institute of Sports Football Program.

After the program ended, she joined Canberra, an Australian women’s league club in 2008. She signed with the Western New York Flash as their starting goalkeeper in 2014. She made 14 appearances that season before suffering an ACL injury that sent her off for the rest of the NWSL season.

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After she returned, Flash waived the rest of the contract, and Lydia got picked up by Washington Spirit, although she didn’t make their starting roster the following season. She signed a deal with Houston Dash in January 2016 and made a few appearances at goal before going on loan to Melbourne City. In 2017, Dash sold Lydia to Seattle Reign FC. By the end of the season, Lydia returned to Melbourne City where she currently plays.

Salary and Net Worth

Although female football players are not as well paid as their male counterparts, this is starting to change. Some female players are pulling in six figures by way of salaries, and Lydia Williams is one of those lucky few thanks to the caliber of playing she is. She gets paid $100,000 annually for her national team service. However, her wage details for Melbourne City are unknown at the time, and so is her net worth.