“It’s pretty much like starting all over again really,” Melissa Barbieri admits with a wry smile. “Back at the beginning again and getting signed up, it’s really exciting to be able to play W-League.”
The former Matildas captain is embarking on the comeback trail this summer, signing on with Adelaide United for this edition of the Westfield W-League. It’s been awhile since her last outing with the Australian national team, and an even longer one since her stint with the Newcastle Jets. Twelve months out of football, give or take, but the passion still burns bright as ever as the goalkeeper looks to rekindle her football career.
“I still have to prove myself, I can’t just walk on to the field. They’ve kind of given me a No. 1 position but you still have to earn it. If I go over there and drop everything and don’t do the right things, then I’m sure I’m not going to get a game.”
Barbieri knows more than most the unique problems that crop up as a semi-professional in the world of women’s football. The time away has seen her drop down the pecking order at national level, as talented youngsters rise through the ranks and attempt to make their own names in this fledgling sport. Where Barbieri was once synonymous with the Matildas goalkeeping spot, now names like Lydia Williams, Brianna Davey, Mackenzie Arnold and Casey Dumont roll off the tongue. The former captain is not one to be cowed easily though, as her return to the W-League scene shows. There is still a hunger to prove herself, to show that age is but a figure.
“Even though I played three international games while pregnant, the immense pressure of coming back and performing after pregnancy is more than if you were just injured,” Barbieri says. “It’s a little bit more pressure and it’s a definitely a lot more nerve wrecking.”
Despite her pedigree and countless awards over the course of her illustrious career, the veteran goalkeeper admits that it was a struggle just to secure a berth with her new team. Hometown club Melbourne Victory was never an option, after a less than happy departure three years ago and with young guns Davey and Cassandra Dimovski in the way. A move interstate seemed the only option and even then it almost never happened, though her determination and a spot of good luck ultimately saw her through.
“I sent an email out to a lot of W-League clubs and Adelaide were the only team to have a semi sort-of position open,” Barbieri reveals. “They said no thank you because I think they had just signed a goalkeeper but I said can you reconsider, I’m willing to move. Probably a lot of assumptions came into [play] – I’d cost too much or I was not willing to move or things like that so I just reassured them [that it was not the case]. And when Ross Aloisi came on board, he pointed to me and wanted me so that was reassuring as well.”
The goalkeeper’s move to Adelaide United will see her take on a leadership role at the club, something that she is more than happy to take on after years of experience at the highest level. Barbieri admits to having had discussions with her Aloisi in preseason, prior to her move down south to join up with the team.
“He wanted to build around the young players that he has there, so he’s looking to me for leadership and experience, not only helping the young girls but also him adapt to the women’s game. I said ‘we like to be treated just like every other footballer, whether male or female’ and he said ‘that’s good to know’. We want honesty like any male team but we ask more questions, so just be prepared!”
Jokes aside, the 33-year-old goalkeeper knows what’s at stake this season. There is still the desire to show she still has what it takes to cut it at this level, but unlike all those years ago, she’ll be doing it with a young daughter, Holly, in tow. Money as always is a problem in the women’s game, but Barbieri has taken a proactive stance in ensuring that she has funds for the upcoming season. Her online memorabilia auction has already reached its $5,000 target, but she has since vowed to use any additional funds to help her struggling teammates.
“Of course I’ve taken a pay cut [in Adelaide], I want to play. Every female player in Australia is taking pay cuts, nobody gets paid as much as they should. [I was] looking to do a lot of fundraising, mainly to help me with Holly. You know babysitting, child care, rent and all those things. Flights too because it’s a long time away from her father and he has to work so there’ll be a lot of demanding issues budget wise.”
There’s also one eye on a potential return to the national setup, but Barbieri isn’t counting her chickens before they hatch. There have been discussions with national coach Hesterine de Reus as she looks to add to her 80 odd caps for Australia. It won’t be an easy task, but that has never stopped this player at any stage of her career, much less now.
“It’s game by game, it has to be,” Barbieri explains. “If you concentrate on making the Matildas, you skip all the little stuff. Hesterine has always been very open, she’s very good at communication and she’s always said to me that you have to get yourself to the top of the game or else there’s no use coming back. You have to play W-League and that’s what I’m doing. She set out the requirements and I’m fulfilling them step by step.”
Melissa Barbieri and the Lady Reds open their W-League campaign away to Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday, 10 November. To help support Barbieri and her team via the financial drive, head to https://www.sportaroo.com/campaigns/522419841dc3af19d50000c8.