Macca, Cait and Lans. Cait, Lans and Macca. Whichever way you order the trio of superstars, the result is the same: they are the best of friends. Linchpins of our national women’s football team, heroes to their fans and keepers of each other’s secrets, Alanna Kennedy, Caitlin Foord and Mackenzie Arnold are the new face of celebrity and they’re here for it.
Fame has come thick and fast since the Matildas stunned the nation last year with World Cup performances that filled stadiums, drew the largest TV audience on record and smashed the mindset that women’s sport would always come second to men’s.
But what are they really like behind the scenes, and is the friendship between Kennedy, 29, Arnold, 30, and Foord, 29, as close as it seems?
Ahead of their shot at Olympic glory in Paris, the three joined marie claire to talk footy, fashion and friendship – plus a little love (Arnold’s partner is West Ham player Kirsty Smith, Foord is dating her Arsenal teammate Katie McCabe and Kennedy is single).
For women more used to shorts and sweat, they took to designer fashion and posing in front of the camera with the same compelling mix of anticipation and ease they brought to their penalty shootout with France at the World Cup.
Indeed, Arnold so completely owned a stand-out Romance is Born jacket embossed with appliqué and pearls that she might have a career in fashion when she eventually hangs up those goalie gloves. However, Kennedy might have something to say about that, as she prepares to launch her eponymous fashion label.
The three became as close as sisters a decade ago when they lived together with fellow Matilda Sam Kerr in Western Australia, where they played for Perth Glory. As they reveal, they couldn’t cook – Kerr’s mum, Roxanne, supplied them with delicious meals of butter chicken, carbonara and chicken schnitzel – but those heady days playing their beloved sport, seeing bands and hitting the beach soldered them for life.
Consequently, they know who grew up with so little money she had to sell chocolate bars to raise funds to go on soccer camps (Foord), who has “I love a sunburnt country” tattooed on her hand (Kennedy) and whose battle with hearing loss has been a challenge few can appreciate (Arnold).
Mostly, they all know just how badly each other wants to win. Because while we may only now be getting to know them – their Instagram followings total more than 800,000 – these dedicated women have fought for years for recognition, status and success. Words can’t describe how much Arnold’s smile broadens when she tells how the Matildas were staying at the same hotel as New Zealand Super Rugby team the Blues when the rugby coach revealed he’d taken the boys to a Matildas’ game to experience the thrill. As she says: “The thought that a coach is bringing the boys to a women’s game to feel the atmosphere is surreal, but it’s obviously so special.”
Beyond the humility and good humour, their nerves are palpable. Tears fill Kennedy’s eyes when she recalls being concussed and unable to play in the World Cup semi-final.
“I can’t talk about it,” she says, a reminder that this game they love and we delight in turns not just on the curve of a ball but also the tear of a muscle or a bang to the head. Like many athletes, they have rituals. Kennedy ensures she goes around every cone in the warm-up, while Arnold focuses on her gloves. “I always put my left glove on first, even when we go into the second half.”
Kennedy and Foord, who play for Manchester City and Arsenal respectively, and Arnold, who has just finished up at West Ham United after four seasons, might tease each other throughout our photoshoot and share candid reflections on each other, but it’s the quieter Foord who sums up their hopes for the weeks ahead.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to go to the Olympics, but I never just wanted to go, I wanted to win gold,” she shares. “A medal would be great, but I’ve never been satisfied with anything less than gold.”
Mackenzie on Alanna
“I first met Alanna at an under-17s camp where I didn’t know anyone. One night I walked past the common room and she was sitting in there by herself so I went in but soon realised she was on the phone. I couldn’t walk out because it was awkward, so I just sat down.
Eventually she hung up and I said I was sorry, I hadn’t realised she was on the phone, so we had a laugh, got chatting and realised we had the same sense of humour. We knew early on we’d be good friends because we really understood each other and love having a joke.
We’re very light-hearted people. That’s 90 per cent of our relationship but there have been moments where we’ve needed each other. Throughout my career, when I’ve had up and down patches, she’s the one I turn to the most to get a very honest opinion. She won’t just tell me what she thinks I need to hear.
If Alanna is upset about something she’d probably say, ‘Oh you’re the worst person to talk to about this but blah, blah, blah.’ And then we’ll get into it. When she couldn’t play in the semi-final of last year’s World Cup [due to concussion] that was hard because it was obviously such a big one for me.
I had to step away to concentrate on myself and the team. But I checked in on Lans afterwards. She copes with injuries and setbacks really well. Leading up to the World Cup she had a shoulder injury then went on to have calf injury and it was a bit hit or miss as to whether she would make the squad. But she worked incredibly hard, didn’t go on holiday and put her mind and heart completely into rehab. I admire how she overcomes adversity and pushes herself.
If I could give her any advice it would be to not be so stubborn sometimes, but she’d probably say the same about me. We’re both strong-minded and don’t like backing down.
A softer side comes out of her when she’s around her family and when they come to games you can see how much her family means to her.
We give each other relationship advice all the time. We’re similar in that we like our alone time, but I think she’s very picky, which is different from me. Me and Caitlin tell her to be a little more welcoming with certain things. She’s also picky with food. If she has eggs, she’ll only have the whites; she doesn’t like the yolks. Whenever a meal arrives, she’ll look at it for a bit and suss it out and then she’ll go for it.
She also has the worst bladder in the team. Every time we go somewhere, we ask if she needs to go to the toilet. In the early years playing together we struggled to get from the jokey side to the serious side because we were so young and didn’t have the best communication, but we now know how to switch that on. We’ve become more mature as athletes.
Alanna is adamant she’s going to retire from football by 40. I’d say she’ll probably still be single. She loves being by herself and doesn’t rely on anyone too much. It could change in 10 years but we’ll probably still be best friends.”
Alanna on Caitlin
“Caitlin and I used to compete against each other in athletics. I would beat her in the high jump but in the 800m I would pace the race the whole way and she’d just sit behind me then sprint home and win. It became a longstanding joke when we ran into each other in football circles a few years later. My first impression was she was very shy and quiet but we became friends.
Caitlin’s a very caring person. If I ever need anything or I’m travelling down from Manchester to London, she’s the first person to offer me a room to stay. She’s a good listener. She’s a very no-nonsense person; she’s calm and doesn’t like to stress too much.
When you watch Caitlin play you know the presence and the impact she has but she’s not got the credit she’s deserved at times. She’s probably contributed to the most assists and goals in our team and created opportunities people may not notice because she’s not [always] the person to finish the goal. It’s nice to see her getting that recognition in the last 12 months or so.
She’s been consistently humble throughout her career. Caitlin appreciates that things aren’t always handed to you. Whenever there’s an opportunity for her to give or assist those around her, she’s extremely generous, influenced by her own upbringing. Every time she’s home she’s back with her mum and that’s really important to her.
We all have our own approaches to relationships. Caitlin’s a lover, she’s a kind-hearted person, [while] Mac and I approach situations a little more cutthroat.
We only recently realised that we all like doing sudoku. Caitlin is so cute. She was timing herself the other day with a stopwatch to see how quickly she can do it. Cait loves to learn new things. In the future I can see her being on top of whatever is current – whether that’s property or Bitcoin.
I’m not a dog person but I can tell how much she loves [her boxer] Peach and she’s a really good dog mum. I feel the three of us could spend a lot of time together and not get sick of each other. Sometimes we’ll just be chilling and we don’t have to talk but we always want to be in the same room.
I envy Cait’s position on the field because I grew up playing striker and then I was a midfielder and [now] I’m at the back because my height and presence in the air caters to being a defender. I envy the people up top who get to finish the goals. That’s the fun part and you get to celebrate with the crowd, whereas my position is not as glamorous. We do the dirty work at the back which sometimes goes unnoticed.
I love playing against Cait at club level. Recently we fouled each other. I got the foul but it was questionable whether it should have been against her. I would never go in hard enough to hurt her and I wouldn’t be reckless but there’s still that pride of not letting her get through.”
Caitlin on Mackenzie
“When Macca called us to tell us she had to wear hearing aids, I’d never heard her so upset. But I’ve seen a massive change since she started wearing them. She was a bit in denial and a bit embarrassed … but Alanna and I helped her to see what a cool opportunity it was to make other people feel good about having hearing loss and having to wear hearing aids and how she could be a role model.
It was important for her to get support from her closest friends, [for them] to say, “It’s fine, we love you.” If anything, it has been for the best. I found it frustrating having to repeat myself when I roomed with her. But it was worse for her. When she got the hearing aids [the difference] was like night and day.
When we were younger we would always joke that Macca had FOMO. She’d be there straight after training, even if she hadn’t had a chance to shower. She didn’t want to miss out on anything. If she’s bored she’ll knock on my door. She likes company.
I think we’ve all seen her qualities before she’s seen them. What everyone saw at the World Cup we had seen for so long in training, we knew she just needed the opportunity to be able to showcase that. [Previously] she didn’t really believe in herself and so when she got those moments, she made mistakes and it knocked her confidence. Finally, when she got her chance again she really grabbed that opportunity and made it her own.
We were so prepared for the shoot- out [against France] because she was by far the best penalty saver. It gave us confidence to know she was in there. Deep down we knew she was going to save some, we just needed to score.
Being goalie can be cool but it can be quite lonely because when there’s goals and celebrations they’re never really involved because they’re so far away. If a goal is conceded it comes down to the goalkeeper whereas anyone else can make a mistake and get away with it. I’d never want to switch positions with her. I don’t want balls being smashed at me. The worst thing is playing against her [at club level]. She tries extra hard against me and I try extra hard against her.
When it come to relationships, Macca is more cutthroat, Alanna is kind of in between and I’m probably the softer one so we have a good balance and different points of view. We help each other out a lot.
When I roomed with her she used to get so angry with me for not putting the toilet lid down when I flushed. She was funny about the germs coming out. I’d get annoyed because she’d put it down then I’d need to touch it.
Macca and I both studied nutrition and society but I don’t think either of us will end up in that field. I guess she’ll do something with football. I’ve never really seen a female goalkeeper coach but I think she could be great at it.
Whenever older Matildas players come to a game, we joke and say, “That’ll be us one day.” I definitely think we’ll be friends forever.”
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
