Ben Gilby continues his series of in-depth feature interviews with members of Glory’s Liberty A-League squad by catching up with Izzy Dalton.
Midfielder Izzy Dalton has become a key part of the Perth Glory line-up this season. 
And the 26-year-old can point to a wealth of experience gained across both Europe and Australia as the basis for her evolution into one of the ALW’s most influential performers.
Dalton was born in Barnsley, a town historically synonymous with the coal mining industry in the north of England.
It was here that her love of the game began, but her potential in the sport was truly recognised several years later when her family moved to Queensland.
“When I was 14, I was accepted into the QAS (Queensland Academy of Sport) system and represented Australia U17s for the cycle from age 15-17,” she said.
“I then made my debut for Brisbane Roar in 2014.”
After Dalton made that W-League bow and finished high school, she was offered a chance to play WSL football in England for Bristol City and duly made her debut against Arsenal while still a teenager.
“Playing in the WSL was an opportunity that I got at a very young age,” she said, “and I was exposed to senior football and surrounded by some of England’s biggest legends of the game.
“It was daunting, but an experience that I will never forget and one of which I’m proud.”
Soon after, another exciting international opportunity beckoned as Dalton accepted a scholarship to study and play in the U.S. college system for four years, most notably at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
It was during this period that she was named in the 2018 Pac-12 All-Academic Team as one of the best players in that collegiate sports league in the Western USA.
With her experiences in the U.S. system under her belt, Dalton then extended her overseas playing adventures once again.
“After graduation, I returned to England and played for Nottingham Forest for six months before returning to Brisbane Roar for the 2019/20 season,” she said.
“I then moved to Italy after the W-League season and played a short stint for Napoli in Serie A, before returning for another season at Brisbane Roar in 2020/21.
“After that I moved to Lewes in England to play in the Championship where I spent two years, which has then led me to today where I am at Perth Glory.”
When Dalton’s second season at tier-two side Lewes came to an end, the midfielder knew the time was right to return to Australia.
And as soon as she spoke to Glory Head Coach Alex Epakis, she knew that Perth would be her destination.
“After initially chatting with Alex,” she said, “I knew that no matter what other deal was brought to the table, the feeling that I left that conversation with was one that I couldn’t resist.
“The overall culture set at the club which could be seen from an outsider, was admirable and I knew the lifestyle off the pitch was something I had missed in terms of nice weather and being close to the beach.
“I think the values and direction of where Alex wanted to the club to go and how I would fit into those plans resonated and it then made my decision easy to accept the deal.
“I have honestly loved every minute of being here in Perth.
“We have such a talented and connected group which has made every day so enjoyable and we have created a healthy environment in terms of competition which makes every day a challenge, but one which we’ve bought into.
“My life off the pitch I couldn’t fault; Perth is a beautiful place.”
Now in her third spell in the ALW over a ten year period, she cannot over-emphasise how much the competition has developed.
“The league has come on leaps and bounds since I was last here [in 2021],” she said.
“The extension of both games played as well as new teams in the league has heightened the competition and made it such a competitive league to be in.”
After recovering from a pre-season injury, Dalton came into a Perth side who started the campaign in red-hot form, combining attacking football with solid defence to establish themselves among the pacesetters in the competition.
And she feels that this early-season blitz was the result of work done over the preceding few years.
“I think our initial success was down to the culture that had already been established here at Glory before many of us joined,” she said.
“For many new girls, we seamlessly fitted in and the connections on and off the pitch clicked immediately.
“We were playing exciting football and tactically played in a way that no other team at the time did, which contributed to a lot of our success.
“I think our style of play very much was a shock to many teams which meant defending and stopping what we did was tough for them.
“We very much had momentum from the get-go, whereas most teams have found their flow in the middle period of the season when we started to drop off.
“I think teams have found ways to combat what we do and simply execute their own game plan.
“Playing teams twice definitely adds to that as you have already come up against the team once.”
Despite Glory’s recent indifferent run of form which has seen them slip out of the top six on goal difference, Dalton believes she knows what needs to be done in order to get back to winning ways as the season enters the home straight.
“I think we need to execute our game plan better and create more opportunities to win games,” she said.
“We know we have dangerous players, so it’s about utilising them better.
“If we can stick together as a group and trust in what we do, we should find the resilience to pick up results in the remainder of the season.
“Our team goal is ultimately to secure Finals.
“We know we have put ourselves in a tough position, but we have faith we can still achieve that.
“Personally, I hope to continue playing my role within this team and find that extra level to help us succeed.”
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