Former Liverpool FC goalkeeper Rylee Foster has signed with the Phoenix this morning with the intent of rising from the ashes of a serious car crash almost two years ago that could have killed her.
Canadian Foster is the final signing for the Phoenix ahead of the new A-League Women season, joining the side after surviving a horror accident in Finland in October 2021.
The 25-year-old suffered a range of serious injuries but the most significant were the seven fractures in her neck, leaving her in an immobilising "halo" for her recovery to stop sudden movement.
"The fact that I'm alive is phenomenal," Foster said.
"The injury that I sustained is known to kill you instantly, if not become a tetraplegic."
Ahead of this morning's news, Foster has been in Wellington for the past week and had to pass a number of medical tests before the club offered her a contract.
Rylee Foster suffered seven fractures in her neck in a car crash in 2021 but has made a remarkable recovery to join the women's A League team. (Source: 1News)
She made an emotional departure from Liverpool in June after staying with the team, albeit on the sidelines, following her crash but believes the Phoenix is the perfect place for her right now.
"Joining the Phoenix is very symbolic. It's a new becoming. It's an arising from something that was literally in ashes," she said.
"I've been through a lot in the last two years, more than most people go through in their whole lives. There have been a lot of sacrifices and blood, sweat and tears to get to this point, and a lot of hurdles in regard to physical and mental health.
"I'm so happy that you'll not only get to see me as a footballer here, but the new and improved side of myself with all the lessons that I've learned over the last two years and the adversity I've faced.
"This new version of myself could potentially be the best of the best and that's what I'm excited about."
The former age-group representative added she was thankful for the Phoenix showing faith in her.
"It was a massive risk, and it was a risk for all parties, not just the coaching staff, but the physios, the medical team, the stakeholders and the owners.
"The fact that they want to commit to my future, take care of me as a person and my overall well-being, but also be along for the journey and very invested in it is important.
"When people buy into you, you buy into them, and I've been craving that trust and that organisation to put their trust in me, and I feel that here.
"I feel at home, and I feel ready to go and do what I need to do to pay back that trust."
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