Manchester City have announced the signing of Australian international striker Mary Fowler on a four-year contract.
A promising young talented player – Fowler, 19, has joined from French Division 1 Feminine club Montpellier HSC.
She comes from a footballing family, with her elder siblings Caoimhin and Ciara having both played for the Republic of Ireland’s youth sides – their father is Irish.
Born in Cairns, Australia, on Valentine’s Day 2003, Mary spent her formative years in Australia with Saints FC, BVV Barendrecht and ESA alongside a spell with Dutch club Leichhardt FC whilst residing in the Netherlands as a teenager.
In 2019 she broke into senior football with Illawara Stingrays in the NSW National Premier League, and after a spell with them and Bankstown City in Sydney, she made her W-League debut with Adelaide United scoring a goal on her debut in a game which also saw sister Ciara make her debut as well.
From there the forward signed for French side Montpellier HSC on a three-year contract in January 2020 and made her bow for the club against Olympique Lyonnais a month later.
Fowler made her international debut for the Matildas in July 2018 and has scored 7 goals in 24 appearances.
She was part of Australia’s squad for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and was involved in the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games where she scored against Great Britain in the quarter finals, before the Matildas were narrowly beaten by Sweden in last four of the tournament.
Speaking about her decision to join City, Fowler said: “I’m really excited and proud to be joining this Club – it’s a team that I’ve always wanted to play for, so I’m honoured to have this opportunity.
“I really admire the team’s style of play – when City play, you see football and how beautiful it is, and you can really fall in love with the game just by watching them, both the women and the men’s teams.
“As much as I love winning, I enjoy doing it while playing attractive football and that was a huge part of my decision to join.
“I’m still young and I’ve got a lot to learn, so being at a club like Manchester City where I’ll be surrounded by amazing staff and coaches, as well as playing alongside and against some of the best players in the world, I feel that I have everything I need to fulfil my potential.”
Head Coach Gareth Taylor added: “Mary is a without doubt one of the most exciting young talents in the game right now and we’re absolutely thrilled to have her join us here at City.
“She has a maturity beyond her years, but for her, she’s excited to come to England to learn and grow as a player.
“The fact that she made her senior international debut at just 15 really does show what high regard she is held in by the football world and we feel as though she’ll fit right in here with our team at City.
“Having her put pen to paper on a four-year deal also speaks volumes about our own commitment and also ours as a Club to her development, and we can’t wait to start working with her.”