Several Lionesses take leap out of comfort zone, secure playing stints in Australia

SINGAPORE – While her peers were hunting for jobs before graduation in 2023, Singapore footballer Clara Lau was looking for an overseas club to further her sporting career.

The 26-year-old attacking midfielder has had to put her dream of playing overseas on hold until she graduated from Nanyang Technological University with a degree in sport science and management last June.

With a carefully curated highlight reel of her playing career, she knocked on the doors of Australian clubs, several of whom responded to her e-mail with interest.

In January, she flew over for trials with three teams before signing a one-year deal with Melbourne-based Spring Hills, who compete in the Victorian Premier League Women’s (VPLW), effectively the third tier of women’s football in Australia.

Lau, whose only international appearance came in a friendly against Indonesia in 2022, told The Straits Times during a call from Melbourne: “I have been waiting to take that leap of faith for some time now, but I really needed to ensure that I finished school first and now that I am done with it, it was the perfect time to go and work on getting an overseas chance.”

Explaining her desire to step out of her comfort zone, Lau who played for Hougang United in the 2023 Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL), said: “Going overseas has always been the option. In Singapore, most girls treat football as a hobby. I am very passionate about the sport, I want to really improve as much as I can. Even in training here, the intensity is much higher than I am used to.”

Lau follows several other Lionesses who have also packed their bags for Down Under recently.

Two others also compete in the VPLW – Stephanie Dominguez, 25, a midfielder with Tampines Rovers in the 2023 WPL, who has signed a one-year deal with Casey Comets, and goalkeeper Hazel Lim, who has joined Southern United.

Venetia Lim, a member of the 2022 and 2023 WPL-winning sides with the Lion City Sailors, has been recruited by Boroondara-Carey Eagles for the 2024 National Premier League Women’s (NPLW) Victoria season.

The NPLW Victoria, considered one of the best state leagues for women in Australia, is the second tier of women’s football there, below the professional A-League Women’s, although there is no promotion and relegation between the two leagues.

Lim, a 20-year-old midfielder, who has over 15 national team appearances, will be juggling football with her studies. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in commerce (finance & marketing) at the University of Melbourne.

Lim, who has ambitions to play in the A-League one day, said: “I was really comfortable and happy playing for Sailors and the national team. As comfortable as I am in Singapore, I recognise that to accelerate my growth, I need to expand beyond my comfort zone abroad and challenge myself.”