Charlie Rule is back training after three months on the sidelines. She tells us about her up-and-down start to life with the Albion, having arrived from Sydney Olympic last July.
Charlie, you’ve been out of action since mid-December. How have you been able to deal with your injury, both mentally and physically?
It’s difficult because we’re footballers and all we want to do is play – it’s the best part of our day. Not being able to play on the pitch with your teammates is hard, but it’s good to be around the team off it. They’re very supportive, as are the staff – they’re all very good. You’ve just got to believe in the process. I think an injury is a sign of your body needing a bit of a break, so I’m just taking this time to reset and come back stronger.
How important is it to surround yourself with positive individuals while going through an injury?
It’s so important. I think Deckie [Dejana Stefanovic] is so good in that respect, and we’ve been going through rehab together. It’s pretty inspiring to see how well she deals with it. I’ve been learning from her every day, which has been really good because normally I would take injuries almost as a setback and a hard time. It’s good to reflect and make sure you can get your body right. I do think the off-the-pitch life is so important too, like being happy off the field and not just relying on football to keep me happy.
What do you do outside of football then?
It’s hard being away from the family, but I also think it’s been pretty easy to move here. The club’s been so good, but also the place where we get to live feels like a second home to me now. Brighton is such a cool place and I love going into the city, it’s so different to what I would normally expect in Australia – it’s just fun to embrace it. I’ve been getting into art a lot recently, drawing and journaling. I’ve never had so much time by myself to reflect on what’s been going on.
You made your WSL and Matilda debut not long after you joined the club last summer. How have you found playing in England?
I was at a good point and moving over here has definitely helped me progress. To get into the Matildas squad and make my debut was incredible. To go back to Australia and see all the fans supporting them and seeing how big women’s football is in Australia is pretty inspiring. It was all going really well until my injury, but I’m excited to get back on the field and get going again. I think it really helps that I’m playing in the WSL now and so many of the Matildas play here. Playing in the WSL has exposed me to a lot more football, which I
feel a lot more confident about.