Karen Menzies facts for kids

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

Early Life and Challenges

Karen 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 local soccer club, Yugal Ryde.

When she was 13, in 1976, Karen faced some challenges and needed extra support. She was placed in residential care, first in Sydney and then for five years in Newcastle. In Newcastle, she started playing soccer with a local under-13s girls' team. This was her first time playing in a girls' team.

At 16, Karen learned about her biological parents. She found out her birth mother was Aboriginal. Karen had been adopted by an Anglo-Scottish family when she was about eight months old. Her adoptive family had not been told about her Indigenous heritage. Her birth mother had not agreed to the adoption, and it was not officially completed. Learning these facts was difficult for Karen. She says that soccer helped her stay strong and deal with her feelings. Karen identifies as being part of the Wonnarua people.

Karen had a natural talent for sports. She also played cricket, water polo, and touch football. But it was in soccer that she truly shined.

Soccer Career Highlights

Karen Menzies began representing Northern NSW in soccer when she was 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, Karen led the Northern NSW team to win a national title.

In 1983, on her 21st birthday, Karen was chosen to play for the Matildas. She was the first Indigenous woman to achieve this. She remained part of the national team for six years, playing seven games during that time.

While studying to become a social worker, Karen also coached soccer. She coached several future stars, including Cheryl Salisbury, Sunni Hughes, Alison Forman, and Bridgette Starr, who is also Indigenous.

Life After Soccer

After her soccer career, Karen Menzies continued to make a difference. She worked at the Australian Human Rights Commission. She was involved in the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families in the mid-1987. This inquiry looked into the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.

Karen also wrote her PhD thesis on Aboriginal child protection. As of 2021, she lectures at the University of Newcastle, sharing her knowledge and experience.

In November 2021, Karen Menzies was chosen to be a member of Football Australia's first National Indigenous Advisory Group. This group helps guide Football Australia on Indigenous matters.