RETURNING to her first love in football.

The first touch of the football. The first handball. The first kick. The friends you make. Pure joy and a smile travelling from cheek to cheek.

Isabelle (Izzy) Khoury got her first taste of Aussie Rules Football playing Auskick, like a lot of Aussie children, while growing up a mad “footy fanatic”.

Khoury decided to take a break and begin playing netball with Ariels VCNA. The young midcourter slowly climbed up the ranks playing rep netball, but one call changed everything.

Taking a quick pause from netball, Khoury filled in for a friend’s team at Forest Hill in 2018. 

Just the following year, Khoury went on to get talent identified for the Eastern Rangers whilst playing with the Rowville Knights in her first full year of football.

“My dad has been such a big part of my footballing career,” Khoury said. 

“He'll train all preseason with me, he'll make sure I do all the running and get everything done and then he'll review my games with me and sit down and write notes with me.

“It’s really good to have my parents…in my corner all the way and no matter what happens, they'll always be there.”

Memories of young Khoury took over, remembering visiting the Carlton grounds for the first time. 

She remembered her mum, dad and sister Dani all travelling to Princes Park for family days and being starstruck by the flurry of players. 

Khoury was in the presence of Carlton legends Chris Judd, Eddie Betts, and Marc Murphy. She was sold and became a lifelong Blues supporter.

Since then, her dreams have come true playing for the Carlton VFLW side since 2023 and making an impact in the process. Khoury said her teammates would describe her as ‘crazy’, but out of pure love.

“They would describe me as crazy, but a good crazy,’ she joked.

“They'll always know that I have their back at any point in time. Sometimes to a detriment, but I think they know that I'll always be there for them and no matter what happens in the game.”

Khoury has been an unstoppable force for the Blues this season following a Club Rising Star award in her debut season.

The inside midfielder is consistently putting everything out on the field both in physicality and in heart.

The workhorse prides herself on getting in and under packs and winning tackles — Carlton’s bread and butter.

Khoury is continuing to work on balancing being on the inside and outside in the midfield. She also wants to become a strong goal kicker to add another string to her bow, pushing her to the next level.

Having been in the Carlton environment for a few years now, Khoury has noticed the growth of the Club and how connected the two women’s programs are.

“The way that they've intertwined the two programs has been really good,” she said.  

“We've had pretty much most of the AFLW girls have come down and trained with us and we've had a fair bit play with us as well.

“As a VFLW group, we're such a young group, so I think to have them training with us and playing with us has just helped in so many ways."

One of the things that prompted Khoury’s change of allegiance was the opportunity to train with the Carlton AFLW side in 2020 and 2021 prior to the AFLW national drafts.

Already familiar with the elite football environment, Khoury didn’t realise when coming through the ranks how different each level would be physically.

The VFLW allows AFLW-listed athletes to be named in match-day squads and play during the VFLW season.

This gives the more experienced athletes a chance to get back into match-ready form while sharing their knowledge with the younger players.

Khoury got her first taste of high-level football with Box Hill in 2021 and went on to play four games for the Hawks who are affiliated with the Eastern Rangers.

She went on to become a permanent player in the brown and gold the following year, playing 11 games.

Khoury feels nothing but gratitude for the Rangers giving her a chance at the higher level at just 15 years old.

A few years after building upon and developing her game, the tackling machine tightened up the laces on her boots and witnessed her first game of VFLW.

The jump from the NAB League to the VFLW was overwhelming at the beginning playing against different sizes of bodies and ex-AFLW players. I

Instead of letting it get to her,  Khoury quickly adapted to the environment and continued to put her name forward to play at that high level.

Football isn’t her only career aspiration. The 21-year-old also balances a business degree which is on track to be completed at the end of the year.

Khoury completed her studies in Elite Sport Business at the Carlton College of Sport in 2021 as part of the Football Development Program.

The fan favourite is having a season to remember at the Blues and is excited to the season on a high adding some more wins on the board.