Perth W-League captain Natasha Rigby was forced to face a tough decision, football or full-time work

In October 2020, with the W-League season rapidly approaching in a swathe of uncertainty, Perth Glory captain Natasha Rigby faced a decision.

The competition didn’t have a start date, and discussions about staging a hub so the league could avoid scheduling issues associated with COVID-19 were underway.

For Rigby and many others in the sport, that could have spelled the end of her football career.

“A lot of the girls who work full time had to really consider that, and if they were able to do it,” Rigby says.

“I know if that had have happened, I wouldn’t have been able to step away from my [non-football] career. It was difficult at the start not knowing.