Lydia Williams

Lydia Williams
Williams playing for Australia at the 2017 Algarve Cup
Personal information
Full name Lydia Grace Yilkari Williams
Date of birth (1988-05-13) 13 May 1988
Place of birth Katanning, Australia
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position Goalkeeper
Youth career
Tuggeranong United
Woden Valley
2004–2008 AIS
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2012 Canberra United 46 (0)
2009 Chicago Red Stars 0 (0)
2012–2013 Piteå IF 24 (0)
2013–2014 Canberra United 12 (0)
2014 Western New York Flash 14 (0)
2015–2016 Canberra United 10 (0)
2016–2017 Houston Dash 15 (0)
2016–2017Melbourne City (loan) 14 (0)
2017–2019 Reign FC 21 (0)
2017–2018Melbourne City (loan) 12 (0)
2018–2019Melbourne City (loan) 12 (0)
2019–2020 Melbourne City 14 (0)
2020–2022 Arsenal 11 (0)
2022–2023 Paris Saint-Germain 1 (0)
2023 Brighton & Hove Albion 7 (0)
2023–2025 Melbourne Victory 11 (0)
International career
2006–2007 Australia U20 14 (0)
2005–2024 Australia 104 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 December 2024
‡ National team caps and goals as of 17 December 2024

Lydia Grace Yilkari Williams (Aboriginal pronunciation: [jɪlkɑɹiː]; born 13 May 1988) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper and represented the Australian national team.

Williams played for Melbourne City, Canberra United, and Melbourne Victory in Australia's A-League Women; Reign FC, Houston Dash and the Western New York Flash in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States; Piteå IF in Sweden's Damallsvenskan; Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion in England's Women's Super League (WSL); and Paris Saint-Germain in France's Première Ligue.

Williams was twice-named PFA Women's Footballer of the Year for 2011–12 and 2015–16 and to the PFA W-League Team of the Season for 2016–17. She was awarded W-League Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2010–11, 2011–12, and 2016–17 seasons. Inducted to the Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame, she earned for her first cap for the Australian national team, commonly known as the Matildas, at age 16. She is the author of the children's book, Saved!!!, published in 2019. In 2025, she was awarded the National Sports Trailblazer Award at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sports Awards.