Brisbane Roar is excited to announce the return of forward Indiah-Paige Riley for the remainder of the 2022/23 Liberty A-League season.
The 21-year-old made her Liberty A-League debut for the Roar in November 2018 against the Western Sydney Wanderers, coming on as a substitute, before scoring her first professional goal a month later against the same club.
Riley would go on to be nominated for a Young Player of the Year award the following season as she become a regular in the Roar’s forward pack at just 18 years old.
Then after making 20 appearances across two seasons, she joined Fortuna Hjorring, playing in Denmark’s top women’s league – Elitedvisionen, in 2020.
The former Moreton Bay United product said she is excited to be back playing in Brisbane after spending the last two seasons abroad.
“I’m very excited to be back playing in Brisbane, I can’t wait to put on the orange jersey again and play in the warm weather in front of the roar supporters,” said Riley, who comes in as an injury replacement for Mariel Hecher.
“It was quite a quick decision for me personally after talking to influential people in my life.
“However, it was from unfortunate circumstances that I have been given the opportunity to play here again.
“Mariel’s injury is a huge loss to the team; she has a massive impact on and off the field so joining as her injury replacement is no easy task,” she added.
Since making a move to Europe, Riley has reached new heights in her professional career including playing against Barcelona FC in the Round 16 of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
She has also gone on to make her international debut in her birth country – New Zealand in September 2022.
Riley believes that the move abroad helped her become a better player.
“My move overseas I think was one of the best decisions I could have made in order to grow and mature as a player and a person,” she said.
“I’m constantly learning new styles of play and learning new things from my teammates every day at training really helped me develop.
“On my return to Roar, I hope I can continue building on the success they have had this season so far and do everything I can to help the team to win.”
Head Coach Garrath McPherson is excited to see the return of Riley, another former BRFC/NCT squad member, to the Liberty A-League squad.
“Indi is another former pathways player from Queensland who has played at the highest levels of the women’s game,” he said.
“She made her debut at a young age and has spent the last two and a bit years in Denmark. During that time, she has also been selected for national teams.
“Indi is a wide striker of great quality; she loves to take on defenders 1v1 and has an eye for goal.
“She aspires to be involved in a World Cup in six month’s time and we are excited that she has decided to return home to Brisbane,” McPherson added.
Brisbane Roar will face Adelaide United at AJ Kelly Park on Sunday 15 January. Get your tickets HERE.
