Stephanie-Elise Catley (born 26 January 1994) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Women's Super League club Arsenal and the Australia national team.

She was the only girl in the East Bentleigh FC squad, the same team her older brother Daniel had played on,[5] and described herself as a tomboy growing up.

[7] A talented youngster who played for the South East Cougars in Football Federation Victoria's Victorian Champions League program, Catley made her senior debut with Melbourne Victory at a young age, playing against Perth Glory at only fifteen years of age in October 2009.

Originally used as a midfielder, Catley was a key figure at her club and scored her first goal in her second season three days before her birthday in January 2011, again against Perth Glory.

[3] Catley signed with Portland Thorns in the United States' National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) for the 2014 season.

[11] The third-place finish earned the team a berth to the semi-finals where the Thorns were defeated 2–0 by eventual champions FC Kansas City.

[13] During the 2015 season, Catley played in three games for the Thorns as much of her time was usurped by the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

[10] During the NWSL offseason, Catley signed a loan agreement to return to her original club, the Melbourne Victory, for the 2014 W-League season.

She was captain and a starting defender in all 13 games she played helping Victory finish in second place during the regular season with a 6–4–2 record.

[18] After advancing to the semifinals, Melbourne Victory was defeated by eventual champions, Canberra United, in a penalty kick shootout.

[19] On 17 September 2015, newly created Melbourne City announced they had signed Catley on a loan agreement for the 2015–16 W-League season.

[22] On 10 December 2015, Portland Thorns announced they had traded Catley to expansion team Orlando Pride in exchange for goalkeeper Adrianna Franch and a 3rd round pick (#21) in the 2016 NWSL College Draft, which was used to select Arizona State Sun Devils defender McKenzie Berryhill.

[27] Orlando climbed the league ladder to a third-place finish during the regular season earning a berth to their first NWSL Playoffs.

[32] Melbourne City finished in fourth place during the regular season with a 6–4–2 record and earned a berth to the Final Stages.

[38] Advancing to the 2018 W-League Grand Final, Catley was described by ESPN as one of Australia's best defenders along with teammate Alanna Kennedy.

[39] Catley captained the squad to a 2–0 shutout against league premiers, Sydney FC, entering the record books as the only W-League team to win three consecutive Grand Final championships.

[41] Prior to the 2018 NWSL season, Catley was traded to Reign FC in exchange for Christine Nairn and Carson Pickett.

[44] Following her first season with the Reign, Catley underwent knee surgery after she was injured in a friendly international match in February 2019.

After undergoing minor knee surgery in October 2018 to fix a lingering issue,[49] Catley returned to Australia and played for Melbourne City in the 2018–19 W-League season.

[52] During the 2020 W-League Grand Final, Catley scored the game-winning goal against Sydney FC in the team's 1–0 win.

[62] Having spent years playing in the youth teams of Australia, Catley made her international senior debut against New Zealand in June 2012, along with her childhood friend Ashley Brown.

[65] Catley helped hold Nigeria to a 2–0 shutout in the team's second group stage match[66] and a 1–1 draw against Sweden.

[70] After qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics in Japan, the Matildas faced Canada in their first group stage match and lost 2–0 with Catley subbing in for Sam Kerr at halftime.

[citation needed] On 14 May 2019, Catley was named vice-captain for the Matildas squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.

[75] Catley played as a centre defender during the tournament — her second World Cup selection —covering for injured players Clare Polkinghorne and Laura Alleway.

[76][77] During the team's first group stage match against Italy, a late Italian goal in the fifth minute of extratime resulted in a 2–1 surprising loss for the Matildas.

[81] On 30 January 2022, she played her 100th match for Australia in a 1–0 defeat against South Korea in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup quarter-finals.

Arnold revealed in 2023 that the song was a "team favourite" during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand.