Ellyse Perry quits football club

Ellyse Perry, the Australian allrounder, has quit her soccer club as she aims to continue playing both cricket and football at the elite level. Perry was told by Canberra United earlier this week that she needed to fully commit to the club, which would mean giving up cricket, or move on.

"I still want to pursue my goals of playing both cricket and football at the highest possible level and as such I feel it is important for me to explore avenues which enable me to do so," Perry said in a statement. "I thank Canberra United and its wonderful community for all their great support over the last three seasons and I wish everyone involved at the club the very best for the future and in defending the W-League title next season."

A dual international who has played in both cricket and soccer World Cups, Perry has successfully split her time between the sports for five years. However, she will need to find a new football club if that is to continue.

Earlier this year Melissa Barbieri, the captain of the Matildas, the Australia women's soccer team, said it was likely women's soccer coaches would begin to want their players "to be more professional, without having the professional means".

"A team won't pay their players a professional wage but they will expect them to be at training five nights a week and that contributes to the fact that they are getting better," Barbieri told Daily Life in February. "Girls are making sacrifices but it is for the good of the game, and those girls that have made those sacrifices are now getting contracts overseas and getting paid."