We, like many of you, have been scrounging for as much women's football news as we can ever since the completion of the FIFA Women's World Cup on our shores earlier last month. And while the girls in green and gold didn't quite make it until the end, they certainly ignited a new passion for soccer in our country that's likely to continue as we see them (hopefully) qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics tournament.
This afternoon, the CommBank Matildas announced the full squad of their Olympic hopefuls on their Instagram, which featured many a familiar face – from Raso and Fowler, to Foord and Arnold. Of course, we were thrilled to see the nation's darling Sam Kerr back on the squad too, but we also noticed a couple of new names. One in particular, was 20-year-old Charlie Rule.
We're stoked to see Rule travel to Perth to take on Iran, the Philippines, and Chinese Taipei as the Tilda's begin their journey towards Paris 2024, so we thought we'd get to know the footballer a little better in the meantime.
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She's from Sydney
Rule is Sydney born-and-bred, having grown up in the eastern suburbs around Bondi. Rule told the Matildas last year that she "started playing football when I was five and was put into a boys' team at Queens Park. I was inspired after seeing my older brother play, he's been a big influence on me. Playing against him in the backyard, I always wanted to beat him and I think that's where I got my determination and commitment from."
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She's a midfielder
Rule plays #33 as a midfielder – like Mary Fowler – which means we're likely to see her making a lot of plays if and when she gets on the pitch. She's currently signed to Sydney FC, but recently completed a transfer to Women's Super League club Brighton and Hove Albion.
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She surfs
Like a true Aussie, Rule is a keen surfer as well, often taking to the beach to surf and swim – which she says is also a great recovery for football. She told the Matildas last year that "I am also studying Sport and Exercise Science at uni. I love being around sports and will hopefully get a job in that area."
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She makes TikTok videos
Rule's joint Tiktok account with her friend Bayley went viral after the duo started posting funny skits impersonating 'blokey' surfer dudes from Sydney. Their spot-on impersonations have garnered them more than 140K followers on the app, and more than 5.7M likes. They also popularised the catch phrase "Not bad yourself?", which seems to have become pretty synonymous with both of the girls.
@bayleyandcharlie Boys learnt how to surf #notbadyourself ♬ original sound - Bayley & Charlie
