Stepping onto the field for her 100th game for Adelaide United Football Club, Emily Condon felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

The soccer player had battled multiple untimely illnesses, season-ending injuries and tough mental setbacks to reach this milestone and while her journey was difficult enough to deter most, her resilience and love for the game has kept her going.

At only 15 years old, Condon began her professional career by signing as Adelaide United’s youngest player at the time. Since then, she’s played at the highest levels of women’s professional football – representing Australia with the Matildas.

The journey to 100 and why it means so much more 

At the end of last year, Condon was hit with some devastating news. She was diagnosed with an injury called osteitis pubis, which is characterised by an inflammation of the joint between the left and right pelvic bone.

“Initially, it was kind of like no one knew what the injury was or how to deal with it properly,” Condon said.

“It started with lower back pain ... and it slowly progressed from there until it affected my daily life," she said.

"And it’s not like pain you could push through. 

"Some days I couldn’t walk I was in so much pain, let alone run or kick a ball," she said. "You just don’t know what’s going to trigger the pain.”

Despite her continuing struggle with the injury, Condon became the first woman to reach 100 games for Adelaide United. The milestone was a monumental accomplishment, not only for Condon, but for the club and the wider A-League.

However, understanding Condon’s challenging and at times unlucky journey, marked by multiple injuries and roadblocks, to reach her 100th game, deepens its significance as a personal achievement.

“It’s been a bit of a tough journey to get to that 100th game ... and when I did, it was just kind of a relief ... and to look back and to achieve this milestone is pretty insane,” Condon said.

From backyard to big leagues

Condon’s passion for football was evident from the time she began kicking the ball around with her dad and brother in their backyard.

Growing up in the small town of Port Pirie in South Australia, when she began playing football at school, she was the only girl on the team. But this didn’t faze her.

Her commitment to the sport was unwavering, and her dedication paid off when she caught the attention of Adelaide United and was offered the opportunity of a lifetime to join the professional leagues while still in high school.

“To have that opportunity at that age was just unreal at the time and I was surprised but also so excited,” Condon said.

Signing at such a young age came with its own difficulties though, as Condon faced the balancing act between her education and the demands of professional football.

“I’d leave school early, make a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Adelaide, do a training session, drive home, get home probably around midnight, wake up, go to school the next day,” she said.

“It was just a hectic schedule.”

The tournament curse 

Condon received one of her first selections to represent Australia at the 2016 Pre-Qualifying Tournament for Asian Cup, where the Young Matildas were set to play in China.

Reminiscing on the experience, Condon said: “It’s an absolute honour to represent your country in a sport you love.”

However, this tournament also marked the beginning of a string of unfortunate illnesses and injuries that would plague Condon’s career.

On her last day in China, Condon became ill with rhinovirus, which only worsened on her return to Australia. A bout of pneumonia then led to Condon missing the entire 2016-17 A-League Women season.

In an ironic twist, having qualified at the 2016 tournament, Condon later returned to China to play in the 2017 Asian Cup, only to hyperextend her knee in training, causing her to play the entire tournament with the injury.

“I played the rest of the tournament with my knee strapped, going through that pain, which was just a different experience.”

Faced with the daunting task of having to rebuild her health and fitness, it was an unfamiliar territory for the 18-year-old footballer.

“It was a very, very scary time in my life,” Condon said.

“But in saying that, I persevered ... I got through it and did the work needed.”

Despite encountering illness and injury in both appearances with the Young Matildas, Condon’s skills and steadfast dedication to the game led to her selection for the Matildas squad in 2018.

At that year's Algarve Cup, Condon became the 200th player to debut for the Matildas, where they played against Portugal.

“I came on with 30 minutes to go and obviously you’re about to make your debut so you’re excited, you’re nervous, your heart is racing,” Condon said.

However, this experience was marred by further bad luck when nine minutes after her debut, Condon suffered a rolled ankle and had to come off.

“Here I am, playing out my dream game for the first time and I roll my ankle and it’s not just like a casual roll. Like, I heard a crack,” she said.

“It’s like I go through all my trainings and games here in Adelaide and everything’s always fine but when it comes to a tournament there’s always something that’s going wrong.” 

Although she’s endured ceaseless setbacks from a young age, Condon’s mindset has only become stronger.

“There’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “It’s just a matter of if you push hard enough, you’ll get there.”

But even equipped with Condon’s mental fortitude, getting there in terms of her physical health has continuously proved to be an insurmountable task. Misfortune struck again when her goals of playing overseas were dashed by an untimely episode of the flu during the crucial moments leading up to the overseas trials.

To further worsen morale, she later contracted long Covid whilst in her hometown. “I was just so sick, I couldn’t get out of bed,” Condon said.

“At [that] point I just couldn’t win ... it was kind of like a moment where it’s like, okay, everything happens for a reason, I just got no idea what this reason is.”

For the second time, Condon was tasked with rebuilding herself after yet another long period of illness. But having been there before, she drew on her past experiences with adversity and was able to bounce back to play for Adelaide United once again.

“It was kind of like starting over again, it took some time to rebuild and get back into playing.”

Fate, however, was not done with Condon.

Following her recovery and after only six matches into her return, she was dealt another blow – a diagnosis of osteitis pubis.

The condition still affects Condon to this day, but she says her United teammates have provided her with a constant support system.

“Being in a team environment and being able to talk to someone about it is just comforting and knowing that you’re not on your own,” Condon said.

A hundred games and counting: What's next for Condon?

Undeniably, such a series of obstacles is enough to diminish anyone’s passion for the sport, and Condon’s dedication to football has certainly been pushed to its limits.

But it’s a strong testament to Condon’s strength of character that she has consistently risen again after every challenge and through each sickness and injury.

“It’s one of those things where when things get too hard and you quit like a thousand times in your head, but then the next day you try again anyways because it’s just your nature to keep on going,” Condon said.

“I think it’s just my love for the game that got me through it and I try not to let these things disrupt the ‘why’ I play the game.”

Looking forward to the 2024-25 season, Condon’s aim is to “just [strive] to get back to full health and ... return to playing at [my] best.”

While her 100th game with Adelaide United holds significance for women’s football, for those who know Condon’s journey it’s a game that means so much more.