When Newcastle Jets team mate Katie Gill first mentioned to Swedish 1st Division Sunnana SK players Rebecca Smith and Sanna Frostevall about the Westfield W-League, it took little persuasion to encourage the Swedish players to pack up and make the trip ‘down under-.
Leaving behind subzero temperatures and a rigorous pre season training schedule in icy conditions was really a ‘no brainer- for the talented duo.
When asked about her incentive for travelling to Newcastle to join the Jets, New Zealand national squad captain Rebecca Smith was brutally honest.
‘The weather, the beaches, I-m from New Zealand originally so Australia is quite close to home,- Smith said.
And whilst the climate was a big factor, the dedication and commitment of the player soon shone through.
‘It-s a brand new league, something completely new and also completely different to back home. It-s also only a short season, only two and half months, so it-s always good to travel and try different styles of play and challenge yourself as a player to learn new things that can only improve your own game in the long run,- Smith concluded.
Like her teammate, Sanna Frostevall was quick to acknowledge the attraction of Australia as a destination as a telling factor in her decision to join the Jets.
‘I think it-s great here, I love it! It-s so warm and so nice. I-m getting to know the Australian sun though. I went to the beach yesterday and I-m very sun burnt.-
The lure of actually playing during the offseason, combined with the opportunity to travel was a big incentive for Frostevall, who also views the W-League as a great forum in which to challenge and develop her skills.
‘It-s our offseason and I normally would travel anyway. Our season ends in October but we have a pretty long pre season in Sweden and we start early, running in cold weather, its much tougher conditions to train in. Mum texted me and its currently minus 10 degrees and snow, so to be able to be here on the beach instead and running and training and challenging myself in a new environment and learning… it-s a fun time,- Frostevall said.
