The stars have aligned perfectly for returning Canberra United defender Kendall Fletcher.
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Her knee troubles are a distant memory, she'll be working with coach Vicki Linton once more, and she's on the verge of completing her Masters of Arts and Religious Studies through Sydney's Hillsong Church.
"All my worlds are colliding in a really really exciting way," the North Carolina native said.
"I'm really looking forward to being back in the W-League. I love the girls, Canberra the city and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Vicki as a coach, she's one of the best coaches I've played for."
Fletcher played under Linton a decade ago at Melbourne Victory. That was the 36-year-old's second club in the W-League - she played 11 games with the Central Coast Mariners in 2009, before heading to Victoria.
Loan spells at Canberra and Western Sydney followed, before she signed with United in 2017 playing one season. And when the chance arose to wear the green for another season, Fletcher jumped at the opportunity.
"Finding out that she was coming back to Canberra, a club that I'd played for and loved playing for, was really exciting to me - for me it was the uniting of two perfect worlds," Fletcher said.
"I absolutely loved playing for her [Linton at Melbourne Victory]. We started talking about possibilities of me being able to play.
"I'm now on staff with Hillsong as a kids' pastor part time. They've been incredibly supportive of me being able to do this."
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Fletcher brings decades of experience to Linton's squad, having been a member of the USA's successful 2002 team which won the first ever under-19s Women's World Cup.
"I certainly have experience to bring but I also love developing players around me," Fletcher said.
"I really appreciated when players would do that with me and it really impacted me. W-League is a great opportunity to do that because you've got younger players coming up, you're also surrounded by some really quality players that continue to push you."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
