DURHAM — Canadian goalkeeper Rylee Foster, previously with Liverpool and Everton, has signed with Durham Women FC in England's second-tier FA Championship.
The 26-year-old from Cambridge, Ont., was with Everton most recently, signing a short-term contract in September through January to back up Irish international Courtney Brosnan.
Durham (6-4-1) currently stands fifth in the 11-team Championship.
‘I think being in the transfer window is full of uncertainty but I’m really happy to be in the northeast (of England)," Foster told the club website. "It’s a new environment, a new culture to get used to. The first few day I’ve really enjoyed it and I’m excited to get started with the girls."
Foster, a former Canadian youth international, was seriously injured in an October 2021 car crash, just days after leading Liverpool to a penalty shootout win over Aston Villa in Continental Cup play.
On a break with friends in Finland, Foster was en route to a Drake concert when the accident occurred. Sitting in the middle of the back seat as one of four passengers in the car, Foster was ejected through the windshield when her seatbelt malfunctioned.
Foster suffered the worst injuries in the car. She was left with seven fractures to her neck, two lower back fractures, broken cheekbone, misaligned jaw, partially torn medial collateral ligament in the knee, partially torn quadriceps tendon and subdural hematoma in the back of her head.
It was a long, hard journey back, starting with having to wear a halo screwed to her head for months. She also suffered concussion-related problems and had to work through depression.
In July 2023, some 636 days after the accident, she was cleared to play football again. She was in need of a club, with Liverpool opting not to exercise the option of a one-year extension when her contract expired in June.
When she returned to training, the constant diving exacerbated a shoulder injury suffered in the crash, necessitating surgery to repair a torn labrum.
Foster had a tryout with Scotland's Celtic, which offered her a contract before recanting and signing another 'keeper. Then New Zealand's Wellington Phoenix FC, which plays in Australia's A-League, signed her in September 2023.
Foster made her return Oct. 14, 2023, in a 1-0 loss to Melbourne City, 731 days since her last appearance. She made 19 appearances for Wellington before leaving as a free agent after the 2023-24 season
Foster played collegiate soccer for West Virginia University before joining Liverpool in 2020.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2025
The Canadian Press