Oxtoby was Downsy’s guest in episode five of the official club podcast, which can be downloaded and streamed now.
The pair discuss the early days, swapping the sights of Western Australia for Doncaster in 2012, psychology, the City Women fanbase, player relationships and more in the 47 minutes-long chat.
“My dad loves this story because he played a part in it,” Oxtoby says. “I grew up in a really small country town where it was 44 degrees every day so it was stinking hot. My dad was the coach of a mixed team at junior level and my brother played. He [my dad] said ‘you can either get out the car and play or you can sit in here’ so I was like ‘I don’t want to play soccer, it’s not my thing’. I lasted 20 minutes in the car because it was boiling. From that point I joined in and really enjoyed it. I played a load of sports but I went to boarding school on a soccer scholarship and it went from there.”
Oxtoby recalls her career around Western Waves before Perth Glory was founded, whom she captained before leaving for England to make the move to Doncaster in 2012.
It was a poignant time in 2008 as Oxtoby became the first Australian to captain Glory.
Oxtoby said: “I didn’t realise at the time but it was said halfway through the season ‘you do realise you’re the first indigenous player to captain your side in this league’. That was a great honour for me as it -, having grown up there and it’s a massive part of my heritage on my mum’s side - is something which I’m very proud of. There have been more since that point too which is fantastic.”
It was at Doncaster where Oxtoby took notice of the coaching side to the game and following retirement she would return to Perth Glory in an assistant role, before heading back to England with Birmingham City, eventually taking the reigns at Bristol City in 2018.
She does recall the difficulties of the gap between playing and coaching but looks back on her decision to retire when she did as the right call.
Oxtoby said: “When I started to enjoy the coaching side more than the playing, that was a clear moment where I knew I didn’t want to hold on to a starting spot here for a kid who’s chomping at the bit to make something for themselves and start their own career
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