Football, Family, and Dedication: Karly Roestbakken

Football has delivered some of the best moments of Karly Roestbakken’s life, but it’s also produced some of the hardest. A foot injury that surfaced while she was playing in Norway is the main culprit of those difficult times. For Karly, football had always been her outlet, so when it was taken away from her - for years - she felt lost. “It’s the one thing you want to do more than anything, but you can’t.”

Having moved to Norway in 2020, Karly was excited to spend time in the place where her dad grew up, and where some of her family still resides. She speaks honestly about the effect the injury had on her stint there. “What I find hard is that it brings me the most uncomfortable feeling… I can’t relive it. But I’m so grateful that I did live over there because I got to be with my family.”

Ask Karly about Norway and chances are the first thing she’ll excitedly tell you about is her grandma’s cooking. She starts listing foods, from skolebrod - custard buns - to blueberry pies, to waffles. “She’d always send me home with a plastic bag full.” It’s these memories of family that are helping her heal from the darker memories of her time there. Karly is determined not to be defined by her injury. “The amount of times the first thing people say to me is ‘how’s your foot?’ and I’m like, ‘can you just ask me how I am?’ My foot isn’t me.”

Surprisingly, the 23 year old - now into her ninth year of professional football - didn't actually join a team until she was 10. Perhaps more surprisingly, however, is that it took only 5 years for the talented defender to sign her first contract. “Being in that bubble in Canberra, I don’t know if I would’ve gotten that opportunity so young otherwise.” In that first season, despite playing limited minutes, she was part of a side that won the premiership - an achievement she seems to have just been reminded of again. “Wow, so I have actually won a premiers plate, I should claim that,” she laughs.

As we talk about her journey to becoming a footballer, whilst there are academies and boys teams that certainly contributed heavily, the conversation steers back towards family again. “I am super, super close to my family and always have been. They’ve honestly just let me choose what I wanted to do.” Karly describes her dad as a football fanatic who she's been able to turn to every step of the way. While her mum does so much for her in terms of her football, she also places so much value on how she “puts things into a human perspective,” making sure Karly sees the bigger picture. Then there’s her brother, who is more of a best friend. “My brother made me so much better just being able to train with him. He would always attack and I would have to defend.”

Although moving cities several seasons ago to play with Melbourne City meant leaving family, whether it’s cousins pausing plans to watch her games or her parents hopping in the car to drive down from Canberra just for the night to be there, she’s well supported. After she first arrived in Melbourne, she found the sheer number of people overwhelming. “When I was living in Canberra, it didn’t feel as small as it does now.” But she’s settled now, and after so much time away from the pitch, she’s found consistency once again. “As long as I’m playing, I have the most fun.”

As we reminisce about some of the highlights of her career, one memory stands out from 2019. Karly was in Sydney training with the Future Matildas program, when she received a call from the Matildas team manager on the eve of the World Cup asking her to join the squad. She had to leave straight away - her dad once again dropped everything and drove to Sydney to give her a bigger suitcase. “I didn’t process it at the time, I don’t even reckon I’ve processed it still.” 

Before she knew it, she was on her way to the Netherlands, linking up with the team the day before they left for France. Karly was called up to replace injured veteran Laura Alleway, who she speaks so highly of for looking after her throughout. “I honestly didn’t expect anything, I didn’t expect to get a single minute but I was ready if they needed me.” In the final minutes of Australia’s come-from-behind win against Brazil, Karly made her debut. She then started the following game against Jamaica. “I still can’t believe I did that… that was the best year of my life.”

Whilst injury has prevented Karly from progressing her international career for now, that door isn’t closed. However, the ‘you’re still young’ comment she’s accustomed to receiving does little to console a player who has so much more to give. Rather than focus on what she’s missed, she’s starting to find the positives again. “It just made me see the game differently, for the better.”

The focus for Karly is now on her short-term goals. “The simplest thing is I just want to be training all the time and playing all the time. That was my first goal.” Going forward, she has her sights set on regaining full match fitness. Beyond that, she’ll take whatever comes, but ultimately, she’s just grateful to be back on the field. “I don’t have so much sadness anymore because I’m playing and that’s the one thing I missed out on.

Words and photos by Rachel Bach.