Hayley Taylor-Young is vowing to repay the faith Canberra United has in her next season, following a new two-year deal in lime green.
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The 20-year-old will sign on for the next two A-League Women's seasons with her home town club on Monday.
She becomes the fourth player the club have locked in for the extended 2022-23 season, following Nickoletta Flannery, Emma Ilijoski and Sasha Grove's earlier signing deals.
Retaining and signing home grown talent appears a theme United are driving home again this season, as all three signings so far have earned their stripes in the ACT.
Taylor-Young's re-signing comes ahead of her fourth season with the club, and will ensure she adds to her 27 ALW appearances and three goals in the competition.
"I am really pleased to have re-signed ... and can't wait to get to work with the rest of the squad." Taylor-Young said.
"I feel at home with Canberra United, it's my hometown team, I've come through the academy pathway and it's a wonderful environment to be a part of.
"The club can offer me exactly what I'm looking for at this stage of my career.
"I've enjoyed my time with the squad over the past couple of season and feel that my game is improving all the time.
"It's great that the coaching staff have faith in me as a player and I intend to repay that faith."
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Taylor-Young made her debut off the bench in Canberra's 3-2 win over the Newcastle Jets in the 2019-20 season.
After her round three debut that season, she wasted no time in getting her name on the scoresheet and netted her first goal in a 2-1 victory over Adelaide United three weeks later.
The versatile player made her name initially in the Canberra United Academy ranks where she struck 39 goals in 46 matches in the NPL, a total that has only ever been bettered once in the Academy's history.
It has been as a defensive stalwart, however, that Taylor-Young has been shining in recent seasons. As she suited up for the majority of last season as an overlapping defender.
United's coach Njegosh Popovich reiterated the strengths Taylor-Young brought to the side.
"Hayley is a very good footballer, and we are delighted that she has committed to the continuing evolution of the Canberra United project," he said.
"She has tremendous pace and a good engine and can run all day. We have seen how effective she can be in a defensive role, as an overlapping full-back, and in a more advanced role.
"Hayley offers versatility in the squad and, as another local player, understands the importance of United in the community."
Taylor-Young, Grove, Ilijoski and Flannery suiting up in green next season should give fans hope the side can get back to their glory days of premierships and championships.
Especially following a disappointing campaign last season that saw the side walk away with two wins, suffer their greatest loss in the club's history - a 6-0 loss to Sydney FC - and a seventh placed finish.
Fans have had a hard few years following their 2013-17 reign over the ALW competition, with the exception being the 2020-21 season.
It was the year the side returned to the finals series following a three-season drought.
And a return to finals is again the aim for United next season, as Popovich builds his squad with that in his sights.
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