Kyah Simon facts for kids
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Simon playing at the 2017 Algarve Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kyah Pam Simon | ||
| Date of birth | 25 June 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Blacktown, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2009 | Central Coast Mariners | 9 | (5) |
| 2009–2013 | Sydney FC | 41 | (23) |
| 2012–2013 | Boston Breakers | 30 | (16) |
| 2013–2014 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2017 | Sydney FC | 27 | (12) |
| 2015–2016 | Boston Breakers | 23 | (3) |
| 2017–2020 | Melbourne City | 31 | (10) |
| 2018–2019 | Houston Dash | 25 | (4) |
| 2020–2021 | PSV | 7 | (2) |
| 2021–2023 | Tottenham Hotspur | 14 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Central Coast Mariners | 12 | (3) |
| 2024–2025 | Sydney FC | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008–2009 | Australia U-20 | 15 | (10) |
| 2007–2023 | Australia | 111 | (29) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 July 2023 |
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Kyah Pam Simon (born 25 June 1991) is a famous Australian professional soccer player. She plays as a striker, which is a position focused on scoring goals.
From 2007 to 2023, she played for the Australian national team, also known as the Matildas. During her time with the team, she played in 111 games and scored 29 goals. In 2011, Simon made history by becoming the first Indigenous Australian player to score a goal in a FIFA Women's World Cup.
Simon has played for many top clubs in Australia, including Sydney FC and Melbourne City. She also played in the United States for the Boston Breakers and Houston Dash.
Contents
Early Life and Soccer Beginnings
Kyah Pam Simon was born in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. She is of Aboriginal Australian descent. Her mother, Pam, is from the Anaiwan people, and her father, Gordon, is from the Biripi people.
When she was a child, her family moved to Quakers Hill. She attended Pacific Hills Christian School. Her parents worked hard to send her and her siblings to a private school and to support her soccer dreams. Later, she went to Hills Sports High School, where a future Matildas coach, Alen Stajcic, was in charge of the soccer program.
Even though her family loved rugby league, Kyah discovered soccer through her neighbors. She started playing for the Quakers Hill under-8s team and quickly fell in love with the sport. At age 15, she broke her leg, which was a major setback. But she didn't give up and made her debut for the Australian national team just one year later at age 16.
Club Career
Kyah Simon has played for many different soccer clubs around the world during her career.
Starting in Australia
Simon began her professional career with the Central Coast Mariners in 2008. She scored her first goals in a match against Canberra United, helping her team win 2-1.
The next year, she joined Sydney FC. She had a fantastic 2010–11 W-League season, becoming the league's top scorer with 11 goals. She also won several awards, including Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.
Playing in the United States
In 2012, Simon moved to the United States to play for the Boston Breakers. She was the team's top scorer that season with 12 goals. She played for the Breakers again in 2013 in the new National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
After a brief time with the Western Sydney Wanderers, she returned to the Boston Breakers in 2015. Later, she joined the Houston Dash for the 2018 NWSL season.
Return to Australia
Simon has played for several Australian clubs multiple times. She returned to Sydney FC in 2014. In 2017, she joined Melbourne City and helped them win a championship.
In 2023, she re-signed with her first club, the Central Coast Mariners. She made her first appearance after a long injury in January 2024. She later returned to Sydney FC for the 2024–25 season but was released after not playing any games.
International Career with the Matildas
Simon made her first appearance for the Matildas in 2007 when she was only 16. In 2010, she scored the winning penalty kick to help Australia win the AFC Women's Asian Cup.
FIFA Women's World Cup
At the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, Simon scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Norway. This win helped Australia advance to the next round. Her goals were historic because she was the first Indigenous Australian player to score in a World Cup.
In the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, she scored the winning goal against Brazil in the Round of 16. This was a huge upset and a famous moment for the Matildas.
Olympic Games
Simon also played for Australia in the Olympic Games. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she played her 100th game for the Matildas. She was the first Indigenous Australian player to reach this milestone. The team finished in fourth place, their best-ever result at an Olympics.
Honoring Her Heritage
Kyah Simon is very proud of her Aboriginal heritage. She has said that every time she wears the Matildas jersey, she is playing for her family. She believes the jersey belongs to them as much as it does to her.
She uses her platform to educate people about Aboriginal culture. At the Tokyo Olympics, she helped the team decide to display the Aboriginal flag in a team photo. This was a special way to show pride in Australia's Indigenous history. She is also part of a group that helps connect soccer with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Personal Life
Simon is in a relationship with fellow soccer player Faye Bryson. Her cousin, Gema Simon, also played soccer for Australia.
Career Statistics
International
| Australia national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 11 | 1 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 10 | 1 |
| 2011 | 11 | 5 |
| 2012 | 7 | 4 |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 18 | 5 |
| 2016 | 12 | 5 |
| 2017 | 6 | 2 |
| 2018 | 9 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 5 | 2 |
| 2021 | 13 | 1 |
| 2022 | 6 | 2 |
| Total | 111 | 29 |
- Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Simon goal.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 June 2008 | Suwon Sports Complex, Suwon, South Korea |  Brazil |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2008 Peace Queen Cup |
| 2 | 6 March 2010 | Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane, Australia |  North Korea |
3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 12 May 2011 | Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford, Australia |  New Zealand |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 20 June 2011 | Jahnstadion, Göttingen, Germany |  Mexico |
3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 5 | 6 July 2011 | BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany |  Norway |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 6 | 2–1 | |||||
| 7 | 3 September 2011 | Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Jinan, China |  Thailand |
1–0 | 5–1 | 2012 Olympics qualifying |
| 8 | 13 September 2012 | Carroll Stadium, Indianapolis, United States |  Haiti |
3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 20 November 2012 | Bao'an Stadium, Shenzhen, China | .svg){kind=small} Chinese Taipei |
3–0 | 7–0 | 2013 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup |
| 10 | 6–0 | |||||
| 11 | 22 November 2012 | Bao'an Stadium, Shenzhen, China |  Hong Kong |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2013 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup |
| 12 | 19 May 2015 | Valentine Sports Park, Sydney, Australia |  Vietnam |
3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 13 | 12 June 2015 | Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg, Canada |  Nigeria |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 14 | 2–0 | |||||
| 15 | 21 June 2015 | Moncton Stadium, Moncton, Canada | Brazil |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 16 | 29 November 2015 | Incheon Sungui Stadium, Incheon, South Korea |  South Korea |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 17 | 2 March 2016 | Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan | Vietnam |
2–0 | 9–0 | 2016 Olympics qualifying |
| 18 | 4–0 | |||||
| 19 | 5–0 | |||||
| 20 | 4 March 2016 | Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan | South Korea |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2016 Olympics qualifying |
| 21 | 9 August 2016 | Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil |  Zimbabwe |
4–0 | 6–1 | 2016 Summer Olympics |
| 22 | 8 March 2017 | Albufeira Municipal Stadium, Albufeira, Portugal |  Denmark |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2017 Algarve Cup |
| 23 | 26 November 2017 | GMHBA Stadium, Geelong, Australia |  China |
1–1 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 24 | 10 April 2018 | Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan | Vietnam |
1–0 | 8–0 | 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup |
| 25 | 10 February 2020 | Campbelltown Stadium, Campbelltown, Sydney, Australia | Thailand |
3–0 | 6–0 | 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 26 | 6–0 | |||||
| 27 | 30 November 2021 | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, Australia |  United States |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 28 | 21 January 2022 | Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai, India |  Indonesia |
14–0 | 18–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup |
| 29 | 16–0 |
Honours
Sydney
Melbourne City
- W-League Championship: 2017–18
Australia
- AFC Women's Asian Cup: 2010
- AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2016
Individual
See also
In Spanish: Kyah Simon para niños
- List of A-League Women hat-tricks
- List of Indigenous Australian sportspeople
- List of Australian sportswomen
- List of Australia women's international soccer players
- List of association football families
