‘It’s pressure to not let people down’: Lydia Williams makes leap from goalline to boardroom

Former Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams has taken on a new role with the Australian Sports Commission since retiring from international football last year. Photograph: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/The Guardian

With a cast covering her surgically repaired right wrist, the transformation of Lydia Williams has begun. From the penalty box to Australian sport’s most senior boardroom, the former Matildas goalkeeper is now facing the pressures of a new high-performance environment.

“It’s pressure to not let people down,” Williams says. “The pressure to make sure that I do whatever I can, to make sure that people can rely on me – that’s been my role as a goalkeeper, I have to do my job so everyone else can perform.”