Arsenal pulled off one of the cutest announcements you will ever see to confirm the Women’s Super League giants have re-signed Matildas star Steph Catley.
Catley’s dog Calvin was the star of the show, allowed into the boardroom to take his place next to his mum, while the defender’s mum was also in the room via Zoom.
The Gunners have also released behind the scenes vision of the moment the 32-year-old put pen to paper on her new deal which features an adorable moment.
As Calvin jumps onto the chair next to Catley and looks down at the contract, she says: “Look Calvy, this is how mum pays for your food!”
Australia’s vice-captain has reportedly signed on for another two years with the north London club, where she won the Champions League and was crowned a world champion, playing as a left-back or centre-back.
In nearly six years at Arsenal, Catley has racked up 165 matches and scored four goals.
“I was just saying earlier that these moments are incredible but they’re also moments you wish you could celebrate with those that you’re closest with and my family’s just so far away from home, so far away from where I am it’s just not possible,” Catley told Arsenal.com after signing her new deal.
“Walking in there with Calvin, who’s my family here, was already amazing but then having my mum on the screen was a bit of a full circle moment and having her there just witnessing what I was doing all the way over here is very, very special and I’m so glad she could be part of it.”
She added: “It feels amazing. There’s really nowhere else that I would rather be and it’s always nice to have that faith from the coach and from the club. It was an absolute no-brainer.
“It’s been a journey of many, many ups and downs. When I first came to the club, I think my first training session I got injured and then that whole season I was pretty much out, dealing with different injuries and felt very, very far away from home. Completely new team, new country, everything.
“So that was a really tough time but as you sort of settle into it and as I sort of settled into the club, I realised very quickly this was exactly where I was supposed to be and I feel myself growing as a person, as a player. The friendships that I’ve made, it’s definitely more like a family and I’ve never felt as much at home anywhere in the world other than my home that I have here.
“That is one of the big sacrifices you make as an Australian footballer when you want to play overseas – that you are really, really far away and you can’t just drop home and hop in and see your family. So making those connections and feeling in your heart that you’re happy and you’re safe and the place that you’re at does feel like home is something very, very special and I think it’s rare in football.
“I don’t think many footballers can say that a club really does feel like home but for me that is definitely the case and I feel lucky to say that and I feel lucky to have the relationships that I do and the backing of the club as well to have me here.”