Mary Boio Fowler (born 14 February 2003) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays for English Women's Super League club Manchester City and the Australia women's national team. Mainly a forward, she is also able to play as a midfielder.
After being selected for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup squad, Fowler scored the winning goal in a pre-World Cup friendly against France in July 2023.
Early life and education
Fowler was born on 14 February 2003 in Cairns, Queensland. Her father, Kevin, is from Ireland and her mother, Nido, is from Kira Kira, a village within greater Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, where the couple met. Fowler is the second-eldest of a family of five children, all keen on football. Mary is her paternal grandmother's name, while Boio is that of her maternal grandmother.
Fowler played junior football for Saints FC as well as Leichhardt FC in the local Cairns league while attending Holy Cross School. A prodigious talent, she was selected to play for the Queensland state under-12s team at 10 years of age. A year later she moved with her family to the Netherlands where they lived for three years, during which she was signed to BVV Barendrecht and learnt to speak Dutch fluently. She returned to Australia with her family at age 14 and began attending Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts as well as later playing for Bankstown City in the NSW Women's National Premier League. In 2019, at 16 years of age, Fowler signed her first professional contract with Adelaide United and relocated to South Australia to begin her football career.
Club career
Adelaide United
Fowler made her W-League debut for Adelaide United in the first game of the 2019–20 season. She scored her first goal in that game in a 2–1 loss against Western Sydney Wanderers.
Montpellier
In January 2020, Fowler signed for French Ligue 1 club Montpellier HSC on a three-year contract after an undisclosed transfer fee was paid. She made her debut against Olympique Lyonnais in February 2020.
She was named to ESPN's 21 under 21, an international list of footballers representing the next generation of talent, in May 2021.
Manchester City
In June 2022, Fowler signed a four-year contract with English FA WSL club Manchester City.
International career
2018 Tournament of Nations
In 2018, Fowler was added to the Australian squad for the Tournament of Nations. She made her debut late in the game against Brazil, thus becoming the fifth youngest player for the Matildas at 15 years and 162 days. She was again used as a substitute in Australia's friendlies against England and France later in the year, but was unavailable for the matches against Chile to attend trials with the first teams of Chelsea, West Ham and Manchester City, who all wanted to sign her. She also attended sprint and power training sessions in Manchester with coach Mick Clegg.
Fowler has received wide praise for her abilities as a player, with coach Alen Stajcic saying that she has "probably got the most weapons I've seen from a young player her age in women's football".
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
Fowler was called up to the Australian squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
2020 Summer Olympics
Fowler was selected to the Australian squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics. She made her Olympic debut as a substitute in a Group G match against New Zealand. The Matildas advanced to the quarter-finals with one victory and a draw in the group stage. In the quarter-finals against Great Britain, which ended in a 4–3 win for Australia after extra time, Fowler scored a goal in the 104th minute. However, they lost 1–0 to Sweden in the semi-finals and lost 4–3 in the bronze medal match to the United States.
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Fowler was selected as part of the Matildas squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, and became instrumental in the team after squad captain Sam Kerr was ruled out for at least the first two games due to injury. She had scored the winning goal in a friendly against France in the week preceding the beginning of the tournament, in front of a record crowd.
She was ruled out of Australia's second match against Nigeria on 27 July due to concussion.
On 31 July, Fowler scored her first World Cup goal for Australia, against Canada in Melbourne in what was a 4–0 win.
On 7 August in the Round of 16 game against Denmark, Fowler's pin-point assist pass to Caitlin Foord set up the first goal for Australia to take the score to 1–0.