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“I’ve always had a great passion for football, especially after the 1998 World Cup where I was a reporter [for SBS TV]. My love for football is insurmountable,” she told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“So, someone approached me after the Johnny Warren children’s book Jasper Zammit to see if I was interested in writing a book about girls playing football.

Lucy ZeeZou’s Goal is due out this September and its release should coincide with the start of the new women’s A-League, which is set for a Spring kick-off.

“I’ve always wanted to write something that empowers young girls to chase their dreams. And this book is about a girl who bleeds football...it’s in her veins.”

As well as being a first time author, Deep-Jones is also a UNICEF ambassador and a TV and documentary producer these days, but many will remember her work on SBS TV’s football coverage, where she worked for over a decade.

And it’s her football background informs much of what the book is about. “Lucy goes on this incredible journey in the book. And in the book, she feels most comfortable on the football field.

“I’ve never written a book before so it was a big challenge from the start. But if you follow your passion in life, what you love, you’ll achieve your dreams.”

A Sydney FC fan, mother of two junior players and wife of Dunbar Rovers footballer Derek, Deep-Jones adds that her book is about empowering youngsters – particularly young girls - to play the number one sport for kids in Australia.

“For me, the Matildas personify many of these sentiments. Those girls have to work full-time or study and in order to follow their dreams they have to do all sorts of jobs.

“I watch a lot of football and the book really came from a lot of my life experiences. It’s about trying to chase something that they are passionate about. And never give up following your passion.”

Deep-Jones’s passion for football has taken her across the globe as a TV reporter. One highlight for her was being invited to Diego Maradona’s TV chat show in Buenos Aires on the occasion of the icon’s 40th birthday, as she explains.

“After months of sending emails and phone calls, we finally got a chance to visit Diego on the set of La Noche Del Ten [The Night Of The Ten] for a documentary I was involved in.

“It was a two hour show and he presented this show live off the top of his head. No auto-cue. He was so confident and of course, in Argentina, he is a God. And only when you experience being around him that you actually see how revered he is.

“He arrives on the amphitheatre-like-set from a helicopter after being at a Boca Juniors game to celebrate his birthday.

“And they have about 20 cameras on set because he goes whatever he wants to. It’s all off the cuff.

“The day we were there, he was supposed to do a live cross with [singer] Shakira on the show. But Diego was late.

“While most people would be devastated to have lost an interview like hers, he just waltzed in two and a half hours later. It didn’t matter for him.

“And I was lucky to meet his father too (see photo gallery). I was very determined to see Diego on his birthday. I’m very determined...I don’t let anything stop me.

“And that’s what the book is about. Following your dream.”

Deep Jones isn’t the only football personality releasing a book. Two A-League coaches – David Mitchell and Ricki Herbert – are also set to release their own books in the near future.

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