Matildas’ striker Kyah Simon is returning to where it all started, 15 years after she began her professional career with the Central Coast Mariners. The deal that brought Simon home is the first full-time, 12-month contract in A-League Women history, which will see her continue to work for the club in an off-field role after the season concludes in April. Despite the growth in women’s football, many players have to supplement their club salary with work outside the sport, especially in the off-season. The minimum salary in the league is $25,000. Simon said she was drawn to the Mariners because of the club’s re-entry into the competition after a 13-year hiatus and its commitment to invest in women’s football pathways. “[Mariners CEO Shaun Mielekamp] said, ‘we want to come in this season, but we want to make sure that we do it right.’” The Mariners brought in Simon’s partner, English fullback Faye Bryson, prior to signing the Matildas veteran . Simon credits Bryson for helping her recover from a knee injury she sustained playing for Tottenham a year ago, including waiting on her “hand and foot” while Simon was on crutches and painkillers. “If I didn’t have her there I would have had to leave the UK and come back to Australia because I physically needed someone to help look after me, just to live,” Simon said. “She got thrown in the deep end with that and had to be that rock for me, which she was, and that emotional support for me.” Simon described 26-year-old Bryson as an “Energizer bunny” of a fullback. “It will be really nice to play alongside her and hopefully help her flourish this season as well,” she said. Coincidentally, Bryson – then playing for Reading – featured in the match in which Simon was injured. She had been substituted and watched Simon fall awkwardly with a handful of minutes left. The Englishwoman accompanied the Australian as she left the field on a stretcher. Simon has had a long journey back to fitness, and although she was included in the Matildas squad for the World Cup, she suffered injury setbacks that prevented her from taking part in the tournament. Simon is expected to miss the early part of the season, which starts on Saturday with a clash between the Mariners and Newcastle, as she continues her recovery. After 111 appearances for the Matildas and 15 years as a professional, Simon said she chose the Mariners in part because she wants to play for as long as possible. “One of the things that I needed to ensure was that I was in the best environment in terms of medical resources,” she said. “To make sure I’m fit and firing, and I’m as strong and robust as I possibly can be, more than I ever have been in my career.” The novel recruiting strategy delivered one of the competition’s biggest names to a club returning to the Australian women’s league after a 13-year hiatus. Simon played her first season of professional football at the Mariners in 2008, one year before the club exited the competition, and said this season marks a “full circle moment” for her. Once the season wraps up in April, Simon will remain on a full-time arrangement with the club, working as an ambassador and with the women’s pathway teams which offer opportunities for girls starting at under-10s. The 32-year-old feels like the experience she has gained since debuting at the Mariners as a teenager will help her mentor up-and-coming players. “It’s just trying to make myself as approachable as I possibly can be and say to them, look, if you’ve got questions, feel free to come up and speak to me, pick my brain about anything, I’m more than happy to help,” she said. After the Mariners won the A-League Men’s grand final last season, Mielekamp, was tasked with building a competitive women’s squad in the off-season from scratch. He prioritised the signing of Bryson, who played 47 times for Reading in England’s Women’s Super League, and this week described her as “an important part of our squad”. Only after signing Bryson did Mielekamp pursue Simon, whose mother has lived on the Central Coast for the past nine years. The Mariners’ offer to Simon was topped up by A-Leagues operator APL. The league has provided additional funding to ensure prominent players such as Simon, Cortnee Vine at Sydney FC and Lydia Williams at Melbourne Victory take part in the coming season.