Ally Watt's Recovery and Reinvention
OL Reign forward Ally Watt tore her ACL just 13 minutes into her NWSL debut on June 27, 2020 at the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup. At the time, Watt was playing for the North Carolina Courage, who drafted her sixth overall in the 2020 NWSL College Draft. In December 2020, OL Reign acquired Watt from North Carolina in exchange for defender Taylor Smith and the rights to forward Jodie Taylor.
Since the injury, Watt has overcome many obstacles, both physically and mentally, to get through the rehab process and back out onto the field. As of September 1, 2021, Watt was removed from the Season Ending Injury list. For the tenacious forward, it was journey full of ups and downs.
“I tore my ACL back in June of 2020. 2020 itself was already a rough time to start and just weird with the pandemic. Because of COVID, the schedule was bizarre and had such a short preseason. We only had a few weeks, then on top of that, we had to do the bubble during the Challenge Cup. It was all just so bizarre,” reflected Watt.
“Then going into the really challenging part – me tearing my ACL and my meniscus in my first game in the NWSL. It was kind of heartbreaking.” Watt paused and continued. “Not kind of… it was really heartbreaking and really disappointing.”
Of course, sustaining an injury is a difficult process for any athlete, but during a pandemic, things are even more difficult.
“Having to go through the entire rehab process on top of a pandemic was very challenging in a situation where rehab would be really challenging anyway. Once I finally had the surgery and was trying to do rehab, gyms weren’t open and physical therapy had very limited hours because of COVID restrictions.”
Beyond the physical challenges and restrictions that the pandemic brought, Watt was dealing with a tough situation mentally.
“The stress of having a pandemic with the recovery process was really tough mentally. I would say that was my biggest struggle throughout the whole process. We couldn’t even go outside really, so I felt like I was stuck inside at the house a lot. I would think so much about the process and think things like ‘oh my gosh, it’s only been a month and I have maybe another eight months doing this.’ It really wasn’t great.”
“I was told I was going to be a full year recovery and of course I didn’t want to be full year recovery; I just wanted to get back on the field,” said Watt. “There was just a lot of time to think. My mental health was really being tested at that point. That was something that was really unexpected for me, going into the rehab process. It was really difficult, but I was fortunate for the people I had around me to help push me through it and get past it.”
Just when it seemed like she was coming close to being cleared to play after spending the majority of the season on the sideline, Watt got the news that she would need another surgery in May.
“When I got the news that I had to have another surgery, I was heartbroken of course, but more than anything, recovery was starting to feel like a never-ending process.”
Despite this set back, Watt continued to push and put in hard work day in and day out to recover. When September 1 rolled around and Watt was not on the injury report, but had been cleared to play, it was a lot for the forward to take in.
“When I finally got the clearance, I never thought the day was going to come,” laughed Watt. “I was so surprised and just really caught off guard. It was like ‘wow I’m not a rehab athlete anymore?’ It took over 13 months for me to get there, so it was just very difficult, but being in environment I was in and being around this team and a part of this organization is a huge part of why I could remain in good spirits through the whole process.”
Watt continued to credit this OL Reign team for the part they played in her recovery.
“I can’t say this enough – this team played huge role through my rehab and helped me so much more than I think they will ever realize in my process to getting cleared and back onto the field.”
“I just want to take a second to say thank you to my team and thank you to this organization for having faith in me and investing in me even though I was not in my best form. Getting traded to the team and finally being able to come here and train with Nicole Surdyka was amazing. I was able to get all of this rehabbing done to get on the right path and push myself. Having Kelcie Hedge as my rehab partner was something I was really grateful for,” said an emotional Watt.
“The team helped me to keep looking for the light and be in good spirits about the whole thing. I got lucky because the injury itself and the rehab process was very unfortunate, and very rare and unpredictable and not in my favor at any point. But everyone around me was in favor of me and kept pushing me so, that was the main part of why I was doing well rehabbing even though everything kept setting me back. I was still able to push forward,” shared Watt.
Now that she is officially off the Season Ending Injury list and is cleared to play, Watt is experiencing a lot of different emotions.
“I could seriously just cry. There’s just so much happiness about that part of my life and that journey in my career being done. Don’t get me wrong, I still have to do extra lifting with Nicole [Surdyka] and do a whole bunch of strength stuff. I’m going to have to keep pushing and go that extra mile to get back to where I was before the injury and I’m not going to stop there. I want to progress to be the best athlete I can be and the best player I can be for this team because they deserve that from me. They invested in me so much and I just want to be the best I can and beyond where I was before the injury and come back as a better soccer player,” said Watt.
“It’s all very overwhelming at the same time because now when I go to training, I’m not stuck on the side. I get to do full trainings and I have never been so happy to get hit by somebody.”
Watt paused to laugh before continuing. “That’s really weird to say but I get so happy to know that I can be tackled by people. I had to make a tackle in training and was actually able to make the slide tackle. All those little things that make me love the sport, I get to have again. It’s amazing.”
With everything going on – the pandemic, her clearance to play, the team finding their stride and rapidly moving up in the standings and a challenging schedule that included a historic game at Lumen Field immediately followed by two weeks on the road – you may be wondering how Watt is doing through it all.
“I’m actually doing really well right now! Our team is doing good things, and I will be our number one fan forever. I almost lost my voice during the Portland game and then during the Houston game, I did lose my voice from cheering so much for these girls. How could you not? They are so amazing and so inspiring. We push each other so well and we have such good chemistry on this team.”
“For most of the season, I’ve been just a spectator, which is unfortunate. I got to train a little bit but I always had to just watch the team. Seeing our progression throughout the season is a huge testimony to how much grit we have and how relentless we are and how much work we are putting in. It goes unseen, but we are putting in so much work and now seeing it translate to the field is amazing. I just have so much respect for these girls so I will forever be the biggest cheerleader for OL Reign, even though I get to actually play now,” Watt said.
Reflecting on the whole road to recovery, Watt said, “It’s been a long journey. I just so happened to tear my ACL on the most viewed NWSL game ever, with the opening of the Challenge Cup and the first sporting event back since the pandemic started. All eyes were on the NWSL, and I go on the field and tear my ACL, so there were a lot of eyes on me. It was very public, so I tried to be an open book with the situation. I got such great responses back when I posted about everything on social media and throughout the journey, I got such great support from the NWSL fans, the women’s soccer fans…everybody. That really helped push me through all of it as well. They were with me every step of the way, so to hear that people were celebrating me being cleared on social media is actually really nice.”
Watt is very positive about the future and is looking forward to putting in even more hard work and growing to be the best player that she can be.
“I still have so much to work on, even beyond the physical stuff like I mentioned before. I am so excited to be working with Laura [Harvey]. She has so much knowledge to share with us and I can’t wait to finally be coached again and not just be rehabbing. I’m here to grow more and this whole process in general, I have seen significant growth in all aspects of my life, so I think that has been a really big blessing in disguise, even if I hate to acknowledge that.”
“I just really want to emphasize how grateful I am to this organization and mostly to the team. They were a lot bigger part of this process than they will ever realize. I cannot express how grateful I am for the team, this coaching staff and for everyone I had to get me to where I am now, “ concluded Watt.