Perry signs deal, bids to continue dual career

Sydney: Ellyse Perry has signed with Sydney FC in a deal she hopes will allow her to continue representing Australia at both football and cricket.

The Australia defender was forced to leave reigning W-League champion Canberra United in May when coach Jitka Klimkova insisted she give a full commitment to football.

But the 21-year-old Perry, the youngest Australian ever to play senior international cricket and the first to play at both cricket and football World Cups, decided instead to change football clubs and signed on Tuesday with Sydney FC for the 2012-13 season.

Perry's family lives in Sydney, she studies at Sydney University and plays cricket for New South Wales state, and says she hopes to commit more time to both sports by avoiding a three-hour commute to Canberra for football.