Emma Checker

Emma Kay Checker (born 11 March 1996) is an Australian soccer player who plays as a defender for Melbourne City in the W-League. She has represented Australia at under-17, under-20 and senior levels. She made her international debut for Australia in November 2012 at the age of 16.

Emma Checker
Checker with Adelaide United
Personal information
Full name Emma Kay Checker
Date of birth (1996-03-11) 11 March 1996
Place of birth Ashford, Australia
Position(s) Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Melbourne City
Number 15
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2013 Adelaide United 17 (0)
2013–2015 Melbourne Victory 22 (1)
2015–2017 Canberra United 15 (0)
2017 Hyundai Steel Red Angels 3
2017–2019 Adelaide United 24 (0)
2019- Melbourne City 18 (1)
2020 FC Fleury 91 1 (0)
National team‡
Australia U17
Australia U20
2012– Australia 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 February 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 November 2020

Career

Adelaide United

Checker made her senior debut for Adelaide United on the opening day of the 2011–12 W-League season, aged 15.[1] She went on to make six further appearances for the club that season, and played in Adelaide's first W-League victory in 34 matches;[2][3] Checker was one of eight players retained by Adelaide United for the 2012–13 season,[3] and went on to make eleven appearances that season.[2] On 31 May 2013, she became the first female in nearly 20 years to play in an under-18s match with men, when she represented West Torrens Birkalla against White City.[4]

Melbourne Victory

Prior to the start of the 2013–14 season, Checker switched to Melbourne Victory.[5] She made her debut for the side on 16 November; despite scoring the opening goal of the game after four minutes, she was unable to prevent Melbourne from slipping to a 5–1 defeat against Sydney.[6] She won her first Championship against Brisbane Roar in the 2014 W-League Grand Final.

Canberra United

In September 2015, Checker joined Canberra United.[7] On 5 January 2016, she suffered an ACL injury and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[8] She returned from injury for the following season on 28 December 2016 against Melbourne Victory[9] and went on to be part of the 2016–17 W-League premiership winning team.

Hyundai Steel Red Angels

In 2017, during the W-League off-season Checker played with Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels in South Korea before a knee injury interrupted her spell.[10]

Return to Adelaide United

On 22 September 2017, Checker returned to Adelaide United, signing a two-year contract.[11] She made history by becoming the youngest captain of a W-League team during her stint at Adelaide.[12] She went on and reasserted herself as one of the country’s strongest and most reliable defenders over the past two seasons. She sits fourth on Adelaide’s all-time appearance list with 41 games. [13]

Melbourne City

On 19 September 2019, Checker signed with Melbourne City ahead of the 2019-20 W-League season. [14] She went on to win both the Premiership and Championship, having made 14 appearances across the campaign and was a key part of a defence that conceded just five goals for the season.

FC Fleury 91

On 15 June 2020, Checker became the latest player to head to Europe, signing with French club FC Fleury 91 on a two-year contract. [15] She made her Division 1 Féminine debut against Issy on 26 September 2020. During her second overseas stint, she suffered a stress fracture in her fibular, cutting short her time in France.[16]

Return to Melbourne City

On 22nd December 2020, Checker resigned with Melbourne City for the 2020-21 W-League season.[17] She was appointed captain ahead of the upcoming season.[18] After four months on the sideline, she returned from injury in Round 4 against Melbourne Victory. In Round 5, she scored her second ever W-League goal against her former side Adelaide United.

International career

Prior to making her Adelaide United debut, Checker made her debut for Australia's under-17 team in a friendly against New Zealand.[1] She was part of her country's unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, and her performances earned her a place in Australia's senior training camp in March 2012.[1] Still aged 16, she was selected for a friendly against New Zealand on 24 June 2012, but remained an unused substitute.[1] Instead, she made her senior international debut on 23 November 2012, playing the entire match in a 4–0 victory over Hong Kong.[19]

In September 2019, after an impressive season with Adelaide United, Checker was called up to Australia's senior training camp in preparation for their upcoming friendlies against Chile. In November 2019, she came on as a substitute for both matches against Chile.[20]

References
  1. Mammone, Christian (24 October 2012). "Checker on the rise for Lady Reds". Football Australia. Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  2. "Emma Checker (Adelaide) W-League Football Player Profile". Yahoo! Sport New Zealand. Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  3. Migliacco, Val (19 October 2012). "Adelaide's Lady Reds ready to dump bunnies tag". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  4. "Rising soccer star Emma Checker takes on the boys – and dominates". News.com.au. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  5. "Lisa De Vanna and Emma Checker join Melbourne Victor". The Woman's Game. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  6. Turner, David (16 November 2013). "Emma Checker wins friends with a debut goal after just four minutes". Herald Sun. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  7. Gibbs, Russ (29 September 2015). "Emma Checker is relishing the chance to shine at Canberra United". Canberra United.
  8. Tuxworth, Jon (5 January 2016). "Canberra United defender Emma Checker out for season with torn ACL". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  9. "Season 9 Preview: Canberra United". The Women's Game. 4 November 2016.
  10. Tiernan, Eamonn (25 May 2017). "Matildas and Canberra United defender Emma Checker getting sick and tired of rehab". The Canberra Times.
  11. Migliaccio, Val (22 September 2017). "Adelaide United sign Emma Checker for new W-League season, defender bids for more Matildas game time". The Advertiser.
  12. https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/matilda-checker-makes-french-switch#:~:text=The%2024%2Dyear%2Dold%20made,Montpellier%20HSC%20earlier%20this%20year.
  13. {{cite news|url=https://wsportsandmedia.com.au/https-www-melbournecityfc-com-au-news-melbourne-city-fc-1/
  14. https://www.w-league.com.au/news/melbourne-city-fc-signs-australian-defender-emma-checker
  15. https://www.matildas.com.au/news/emma-checker-makes-move-france
  16. https://www.myfootball.com.au/news/emma-checker-most-uncomfortable-times-my-life-have-provided-greatest-lessons
  17. https://www.matildas.com.au/news/emma-checker-signs-melbourne-city
  18. https://www.melbournecityfc.com.au/news/team-news-city-confirm-round-1-squads-and-lock-captains
  19. "Emma Checker makes her Matildas debut". Football Federation SA Inc. 23 November 2012. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  20. https://beyond90.com.au/matildas-training-camp-squad-announced/
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