Junior Matildas Captain Willa Pearson: Breaking Records with Sydney FC and Leading at 14
Hi Matildas fans!
In today’s episode, LDG sits down with a true history-maker: Sydney FC defender and Junior Matildas captain, Willa Pearson!
Besides becoming the first guest in the history of our podcast who is younger than LDG himself, despite her youth, her pedigree on the pitch and list of records broken off it is immense.
Willa made global headlines after playing the full 90 minutes in Sydney FC’s opening match at just 14 years and 312 days old, officially becoming the youngest debutant in A-Leagues history. She followed that up by shattering Sam Kerr’s long-standing record to become the league's youngest-ever goalscorer at 15!
Willa has quickly gained attention for her composure, defensive awareness, and maturity playing against experienced professional competition. In this conversation, we talk about her journey into the professional game, balancing soccer at such a young age, her development with Sydney FC and Australia’s youth national team setup, and what she’s learned from her rapid rise in the sport so far.
Fresh off her second match at the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup, Willa joins the pod to take listeners behind the scenes of her historic rise.
We chat about her earliest soccer memories, how navigating a high-level dual-sport background in both soccer and cricket enhanced her athletic abilities, and the exact thoughts running through her mind during her record-breaking pro debut.
Willa also opens up about adjusting to the pressure of top-flight football, what it meant to receive the Junior Matildas call-up, and how she processes taking on a massive leadership role as the squad’s captain.
To wrap things up, we look ahead to her short- and long-term objectives with Sydney FC and the Matildas youth setup, followed by a must-listen rapid-fire section where we find out her locker room DJ picks, favorite kits, and her one-word preview for her massive 2026 calendar!