Karen Menzies facts for kids

Karen Menzies, born around 1962, is a very important person in Australian soccer. She is known for being the first Indigenous Australian woman to play for the Australia women's national soccer team, also known as the Matildas. She played seven games for the Matildas between 1983 and 1989.

Growing Up

Menzies grew up in the 1960s in North Ryde, New South Wales. As a child, she loved sports, especially soccer. She was inspired by the nearby Yugal Ryde club.

When she was 13 in 1976, she moved into residential care. First, she stayed in Sydney for three months, then in Newcastle for five years. In Newcastle, she started playing soccer with a local under-13s team. This was her first time playing in a girls' team.

At 16, she learned about her biological parents. She found out her birth mother was Aboriginal. Karen had been given to an Anglo-Scottish family when she was about eight months old. Learning these facts was difficult for her. She says that football helped her stay strong and focused during this time. She used soccer to help her deal with her feelings. Karen identifies as being part of the Wonnarua people.

Karen Menzies was naturally good at sports. She also played cricket, water polo, and touch football. But soccer was where she truly shined.

Kicking Goals: Her Soccer Journey

Menzies played for Northern NSW from the age of 14 in 1977. She started in the open-age team and played for them for 15 years. There, she met her longtime friend Renaye Iserief, who also became a teammate on the national team. As captain of Northern NSW, she helped them win a national title.

In 1983, on her 21st birthday, she was chosen to play for the Matildas. She was the first Indigenous woman to achieve this. She stayed with the national team for six years, playing seven games.

While studying to become a social worker, Menzies also worked as a coach. She coached many talented players, including Cheryl Salisbury, Sunni Hughes, Alison Forman, and Bridgette Starr, who is also Indigenous.

After Football

After her soccer career, Menzies worked at the Australian Human Rights Commission. She helped with the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families in the mid-1987. This inquiry looked into how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were separated from their families.

She wrote her PhD thesis on Aboriginal child protection. As of 2021, she lectures at the University of Newcastle.

In November 2021, Karen Menzies was chosen to be a member of Football Australia's first National Indigenous Advisory Group. This group helps guide decisions related to Indigenous involvement in football.