Concord JSC forward Chelsey Johnson is multitalented, focusing on her football as well as skiing.
Words: Clement Tito
Johnson is the reigning golden boot winner of the Grace Martin Trophy and is looking to go back to back, firmly in the mix for this season's top gong.
However, Johnson is focused on the team thing and is keen for Concord JSC to do their own double after taking out last season’s title.
Concord currently sit third on the table with eight wins, one draw and two losses.
“I actually don't know what the current standings are for the goal scorers, but I'll happily take that because I've actually, I missed a few,” Johnson joked.
“Even though we won the grand finals last year, it just shows that we're not we're not this unbeatable team.
“We've got areas to work on and room for improvement. Some of the losses put us in our place a little bit.
“Now we have to kind of pull our finger out because some of the other teams, especially from last year have absolutely improved their game.”
Johnson is now currently in her fourth year at Concord and has enjoyed her football so far.
The 20-year-old is a local from Drummoyne but was brought up in a rugby league household and reminisces on her classmates in primary school influencing her to give football a go.
“I started around U-7s,” Johnson said.
“It was just me and one other girl and then the rest of them were just the boys. My parents got me into most sports they could, so I was active, so I tried to trade soccer with that.
“With dad being a rugby person, I still enjoyed it. I don't want to say it came naturally to me, I didn't find it too hard to acclimatise.
“I think because I enjoyed it. I was more willing to put in effort and to try and learn those skills and get better at it.”
“Things like being able to read the game and predict what's happening next. Because I was playing with friends, it always just made it a lot better.”
Johnson is enjoying a remarkable life in her early 20s, residing in the US during the football offseason to focus on her skiing.
She started cross country skiing in 2016 and moved across to compete in Biathlon in 2018, competing in a number of high-profile tournaments representing Australia.
While she isn’t an avid football spectator, she loves the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
“It's super random, I'm technically a biathlete by background,” she joked.
“That's my main focus at the moment and then I'd say soccer is my second and I'm doing it as an extra thing because I just love being involved in it.”
