They say never meet your heroes but Armidale junior and northern NSW’s newest Matildas Chloe Lincoln disagrees.
The 19-year-old goalkeeper received a call-up to the Matildas senior squad to train alongside her role model, Mackenzie Arnold, one of the best female goalkeepers in the world.
NNSWF spoke to Lincoln while she was in camp with the Maitldas for their friendly matches against Switzerland and Germany.
Lincoln said training alongside her hero was everything she hoped for.
“Mackenzie has been incredible to work with and learn from. She is at the pinnacle of her game. She's an absolute professional, an incredible role model and someone that I have looked up to for a very long time,” Lincoln said.
“They say don’t meet your heroes but I totally disagree in this case. She has been incredible.
“Just seeing the way that she holds herself in training, the intensity and focus that she brings to the session, holding everyone accountable but also being accepting.
“Something that I have been trying to adjust to is that intensity and focus level of training. I have made a few mistakes along the way but she has been really good at helping me get through that and pushing me to be better. It’s been awesome.”
The Armidale junior began playing at the age of five and made her mark at clubs including Northern Inland Football, Newcastle Jets Academy and NSW Institute of Sport before she made the trip down south to Canberra United.
Lincoln made her A-League debut at the age of 17 with Canberra United where she made 35 appearances before she signed for Western United for the 2024/25 season.
She said her journey to become a goalkeeper was similar to many, with her being the only player who would go in between the posts.
“I think that it is a pretty common experience for goalkeepers where there is no one who wants to do it, so the crazier ones just get chucked in,” Lincoln said.
“I was around 11 or 12 when I played for Northern Inland Football under-14s girls and no one wanted to be goalkeeper, so I just put my hand up and said, ‘yeah I’ll give it a go’ and it stuck from there.”
The young gun is no stranger to representing her country, featuring in the Young Matildas squads for the FIFA under-20s Women's World Cup Costa Rica 2022™, AFC under-20s Women’s Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2024™ and the FIFA under-20s Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™.
Lincoln said that she was lucky to have already achieved so much but said nothing could have prepared her for receiving the phone call that she had earned the call up to the Matildas senior squad.
“Being able to play a World Cup is everyone’s dream who is involved in football. To be able to tick that off and get to do it with some incredible girls, it was just an unbelievable experience,” Lincoln said.
“When I got that phone call I felt a lot of emotions. Initially I was in shock and couldn’t speak.
“I was in the car at the time with my teammates, so they found out at the same time, which made it all sink in very quickly.
“Once I was able to call mum and dad it was like pure emotion and tears because they have sacrificed a lot. We all sacrifice a lot to make it to this point. It was very special.”
The Western United goalkeeper said she was grateful to be part of the Matildas camp and wanted to learn as much as she could alongside some of the best female footballers in the world.
“I have loved every minute of it. It has definitely been challenging which is to be expected. It is the pinnacle of football in Australia. I am so grateful and honoured to be here,” Lincoln said.
“I think there are definitely a lot of differences. Young Matildas is a lot more structured, whereas here you are left to be the true professional and the onus is on you. You have to step into that more in this environment.
"It’s been amazing to have good role models in the professionals that are here such as Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley etc. The list goes on. Learning how they operate in camp and ensuring they get their bodies right with nutrition and recovery. All of that sort of stuff has been really good to learn from.
“I just want to enjoy every moment and absorb and learn as much as possible. That was really what I wanted to go in there and do. I feel like I have been able to tick off those things so far and will probably get to learn a whole lot more tomorrow night.”
The Western United goalkeeper said that she aspired to continue to grow as a professional footballer and hoped that one day she would make her Matildas debut.
“I shouldn’t get too far ahead of myself I guess but I would love to make my debut for the Matildas and play many games for them,” Lincoln said.
“For now, I am just trying to enjoy the experience of being a part of this environment and keep working hard and pushing to try and be a better player and better person and hopefully one day I can achieve that. Fingers crossed.”
