Kyah Pam Simon (born 25 June 1991) is an Australian professional soccer striker who plays for Houston Dash in the NWSL.
In 2011, Simon became the first Indigenous Australian player to score a goal in a FIFA World Cup.
She has played for Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners, and Western Sydney Wanderers in the Australian W-League and for the Boston Breakers in the American National Women’s Soccer League.
Growing up amongst a family of rugby players in Quakers Hill, New South Wales, near Sydney, Australia, Simon began playing football for the Quakers Hill under-8s and fell in love with the game.
As a youth, she played for the Hills Brumbies before moving across to Penrith Nepean United.
At age fifteen, she broke her leg just on the verge of earning a scholarship with the NSW Institute of Sport, but that did not deter her from pursuing her dream.
She made her national debut for the Australia women’s national soccer team the following year at age 16.
Simon made her debut for the Australia women’s national soccer team in August 2007, at the age of 16, in a match against Hong Kong. She scored her first goal in a win over Brazil in the 2008 Peace Cup.
In 2010, she scored the winning penalty for Australia to win the 2010 Asian Cup.
Simon appeared at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where she scored both of Australia’s goals in a 2–1 win over Norway to ensure qualification for the quarter finals.
She was the first male or female Indigenous Australian player to score a goal in a World Cup tournament.
Image Courtesy – Kyah Simon (Instagram)
