Arrive alive WPL Player Interview with Sydney University’s Emma Schiller
Your name and occupation?
Emma Schiller. I?m about to start my first ?real? job as a sports journalist, but right now I?m a postgraduate student (Master of International Studies).
Your favoured playing position?
I always thought it was left midfield, but I?ve moved into centre back/sweeper this season and it?s much better than I thought it would be. So right now I?ll say anywhere in the starting 11.
What was your first junior club?
Great Lakes Vikings Under 8s. I grew up in the tiny mind-north coast town of Diamond Beach that didn?t have any of its own sport teams, so the Forster club became my first. They hadn?t had many girls play before, so it was an interesting learning curve for everyone!
What made you take up football?
As hyperactive kids my parents were keen to shove my brother and me into weekend sport, and in Forster the options were football, netball or league. I thought netball was too girly, they didn?t let girls play league and I liked to kick things, so football stood out as a logical option.
Who has been your most positive influence on your football career?
It?s a stock standard answer, but my parents. They always pointed back to the fact that football was a game and supposed to be enjoyed. Neither of them understood the first thing about football when I started playing but to listen to them on the sidelines now they would give Les Murray a run for his money – at the very least, they?re enthusiastic.
Which footballer do you admire most?
Vince Grella ? he works so hard during a match that I?m always surprised he has the energy to even walk off the field.
For pure amusement, King Eric (Cantona), maybe minus the kung-fu-spectator-kick.
Do you have any match day superstitions (lucky socks, left shoe before right, etc)?
Triple checking that I?ve packed spare contact lenses! I?m very short-sighted and would be useless without them.
If you could have a dinner party with any three famous people who would they be? Why?
Jamie Oliver ? someone?s got to cook, and his accent is almost better than background music
Steve Toltz ? anyone who can write a book like ?Fraction of the Whole? must have something weird to say over dinner
Monty Python ? they?re a bit old school and dorky, but that matches my sense of humour.
What song best describes your approach to football?
I know some of my teammates would want me to say the Venga Boys? song ?we like to party?. But probably anything by the Beastie Boys ? loud, aggressive and a bit rough around the edges.
Is there a particular pre game meal you like to eat?
Any kind of pasta, but a few hours before I play.
What is your favourite football memory?
When our club won the Super League First Grade and Reserve Grade titles in 2007 to earn Sydney Uni promotion back into the top tier. It had been tough to swallow relegation the year before, but the eventual successes of all our grades more than made up for it. The post-match celebrations weren?t bad either…
-By Ross Anderson
