West Ham United midfielder Tameka Yallop has played professional football in eight different countries during her 13-year playing career.
But moving to England has seen the Australian face her most difficult challenge so far – leaving her wife and 14-month-old daughter on the other side of the world.
The 30-year-old last saw her family, who are based in New Zealand, before she headed to a pre-Olympic training camp in June. Various lockdowns meant she wasn’t able to see them before moving to London to play in the Women’s Super League.
It’s now been more than six months.
“It’s one of the toughest situations I’ve ever been in in my life,” she told BBC Sport.
“When you have that separation, you’re never sure when you’re going to see them again. It really changes your perspective on life and what’s important so I’m really looking forward to seeing them very soon.”
She is planning on flying home during the WSL’s winter break after she “got lucky” in managing to secure a place in one of New Zealand’s quarantine hotels, where she will have to spend seven days.
She met her wife Kirsty, a former New Zealand international, when they were team-mates at Norwegian side Klepp IL. Their daughter Harley Rose was born in August 2020.
“We FaceTime a lot and Harley recognises me when I’m on the television, it’s a little heart-breaking at times.
“My wife was a professional footballer as well so she knows how exciting each matchday is and she’d love to be here supporting me but hopefully that’s something that can happen in the future.”
Aussie gang in London
A stalwart for Australia, Yallop recently won her 100th cap for the Matildas.
When she signed for West Ham and moved to London in May 2021, she joined the growing contingent of Australia players who compete in the WSL.
“There are a lot of Aussies in this league, so I’m going to come up against them all sooner rather than later and I’m looking forward to that,” she said.
She was expecting to be facing fellow Australian Sam Kerr on Sunday but the match against Chelsea was called off late on Friday because of coronavirus cases among players and staff.
The Matildas living in London often have “little Aussie catch-ups” away from the football pitch.
“It’s good that those playing in London are all close together. You get a little taste of home if you’re feeling homesick so it’s definitely nice to have some of my Aussie team-mates over here.”
‘Home from home’
Born in New South Wales, Yallop’s professional career began at Brisbane Roar, where she stayed for 10 years.
In the summer months she would travel around the world to continue her football career and has also played in the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, Sweden and Norway before moving to London before the 2021-22 WSL season. It’s fair to say she has a lot of experience when it comes to women’s football globally.
“It’s [the WSL] definitely one of the top leagues,” she said.
“It’s so competitive across all the clubs and that’s the difference. It’s standard that every game is tough and competitive and for that reason I enjoy playing every game.”
Yallop was the Hammers’ first signing of the 2021-22 season as she was reunited with manager Ollie Harder, under whom she played during her time in Norway at Klepp IL.
“Ollie is big on team culture and having not just a positive team environment, but a welcoming one too.
“We have a lot of internationals and it’s really easy for us to come in, connect and really feel like we’ve made a home here. Off the field there is a really good environment that everyone wants to be a part of and on the field everyone wants to play for each other and do well.
“It’s a really open and honest environment which allows people to feel comfortable and Ollie brings out the best in each individual player.”
