Joanne Peters

Joanne "Joey" Elsa Peters (born 11 March 1979) is an Australian former soccer player who last played for the Newcastle Jets in the Australian W-League. She played for Brazilian club, Santos, becoming the first Australian woman to play professional football in South America. Peters also was one of the first Australians to represent a team in the Women's United Soccer Association in 2003, when she joined New York Power. Internationally she represented Australia as a central midfielder for the Matildas from March 1996 to February 2009 for 110 games and scored 28 goals. Her first club, Leeton United Juniors, played in the Griffith District Football Association. Peters was signed by Northern NSW Pride in the Australian Women's National Soccer League (WNSL). She played for NSW Sapphires from 1999 and won the Julie Dolan Medal for the best player in the WNSL for the 2001/2002 season. From August to December 2002 she had a stint with Brazilian club Santos, becoming the first Australian woman to play professional football in South America.

Peters last played with the Newcastle Jets in the Australian W-League's inaugural year, 2008–2009.

International career Peters made her debut for Australia in March 1996 in a friendly against New Zealand in Auckland, where she scored her first goal for the Matildas in their 0-3 victory over the hosts. The retiring Matilda had attended three Women's World Cups (1999, 2003, 2007) and one Olympic Games (2004). Peters recalled her fondest international memories, "Personally, scoring a goal in the Athens Olympics against the USA, that drew the game and that's the best result we've had with them. We were playing the Dream Team, if you like. They had the world’s best player, Mia Hamm, and it was their last tournament with that team. From a team perspective, the last World Cup was a definite highlight."

Honours Julie Dolan Medal: WNSL 2001/2002. Football Australia Hall of Fame inductee: 2010