Sally Shipard has signed up to play with Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga.

The 24 year old is one of the more experienced of the youthful Matildas side, having been the youngest footballer to represent Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympic as a 16 year old. Despite taking a couple of years off from the game, the central midfielder has earned more than 60 caps for her country.

“There’s still a lot of things I want to achieve in my personal and professional career with the Matildas,” she told The Daily Advertiser.

“They’re mostly based around my own performance, I don’t believe I’ve performed the way I know I can or the way that I’m capable of with the national team.

“That’s why I think playing in the strongest league (in Germany) I can give myself a different challenge.

“I can’t wait to pit myself up against the best in the world and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity."

I had I had a chat to Sally about her footballing career and what she soped to gain from the experience:

• Follow Sally on Twitter
• This post originally appeared on Sporting Sheilas