Perth Glory is delighted to confirm that Natasha Rigby has been appointed the club’s new captain for the Westfield W-League 2019/20 Season.
The 26-year-old defender takes over the armband from Sam Kerr who confirmed her move to English club Chelsea on Wednesday.
Rigby, who hails originally from Margaret River, has made 39 appearances for Glory since debuting in 2016 and is thrilled by the prospect of leading her home-state side.
“It is an incredible honour and I am still pinching myself,” she said.
“We have such a beautiful team and I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for this opportunity.
“It is absolutely heartbreaking to lose Sammy (Kerr), but she has an ocean of opportunities ahead of her and we will be cheering her on from afar.
“They are huge shoes to fill, but I have learned a lot from her over the last few years and I just want to focus on doing my part for the team.
“All I can do is lead by example, wear my heart on my sleeve and motivate the team to come together and do their best.
“We have some amazingly experienced players like Kim Carroll and Shannon May, so it will be vital to draw on their knowledge and expertise as well.
“We have a talented young team, everyone is very respectful, motivated and eager to make their mark and I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”
Head Coach Bobby Despotovski, meanwhile, is confident that Rigby will prove to be an inspirational leader for what is a young squad.
“Tash came in as a State League pick-up and has never missed a beat since,” he said.
“She’s bubbly, team-orientated, takes everything in her stride and will do everything in her powers to lead the team.
“She’s a very happy, positive person and we need someone like that to help take our younger players to the next level.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Perth Glory CEO, Tony Pignata.
“Natasha has been a key member of our Westfield W-League squad on and off the field ever since she joined the club in 2016,” he said.
“She has developed into an accomplished player and leader and someone who represents Glory’s core values superbly through her words and actions.
“She thoroughly deserves this honour and will lead our playing group with pride, distinction and a smile on her face.”
Glory’s Westfield W-League campaign will get underway on Sunday (17 November) when they visit Canberra United (kick off at 1pm WST).
Their first home game, meanwhile, is a repeat of last season’s Grand Final against Sydney FC on Sunday 1 December (kick off at 1pm WST) and you can grab your tickets for that game HERE.
Or to become a Glory W-League member, click HERE.
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