It’s showtime!
After months of preparation and hard work, the #NPLWNSW competition finally kicks off this Sunday.
Fourteen National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s clubs will have their eyes fixed on clinching the Premiership and Championship trophy in what promises to be a massive year for the sport.
Let’s check out this week’s Round 1 preview.
Sydney Olympic v NWS Spirit @Peter Moore Field, 4:15pm
The first game of the 2023 National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s season kicks off at Peter Moore Field as Sydney Olympic hosts the NWS Spirit.
After narrowly missing out on finals football in 2022, it will be a new look Sydney Olympic side taking to the field. Coach George Beltsos has seen a number of stars depart from last season’s squad but will able to call upon the likes of Sarah Yatim and Kiara De Domizio.
Several exciting youngsters have made the move to Belmore, including former Sydney Uni stars Courtney Newbon and Ash Irwin, who will have the task of protecting Olympic’s goal.
Tiana Gauci got a full pre-season under her belt with Spirit and will be confident they can make a play for the finals this year.
A top four spot won’t be an easy feat but with the likes of Erin Pridmore again leading from the back, along with the exciting Mary Stanic-Floody and Ella Abdul Massih, anything is possible for Gauci’s team.
The head-to-head is tight, Olympic currently edging it 4-3 but last year’s heavy defeats will still hurt the girls from Christie Park who hope to spring an upset on Sunday.
Blacktown Spartans v Bankstown City @Blacktown Football Park, 5pm
The Blacktown Spartans host Bankstown City at Blacktown Football Park in a decent clash set to hit Sydney’s West.
A large number of player changes have taken shape at the Spartans which will also feature the introduction of new manager Lauren Phelps.
A Spartan through and through, Phelps has the task of blooding some youngsters into the senior team who have come from the youth system, including Charlotte Owen, Makayla Kent and Christa Oliva.
Annie Daczko will lead the team with that captain’s armband, another with Spartan blood flowing through her veins. There will be a Filipino vibe at the Spartans after the club secured the services of internationals Eva Madarang and Carleigh Frillies who both hope to make a huge impact for their new club.
Bankstown City will be hoping to gate-crash the Spartans opening party as they look towards improving their standings following a tough 2022 season.
Matt Costantini will look towards club Captain Liana Gullo (Danaskos) and Daisy Arrowsmith as the club’s key players, along with new signing Hannah Bacon pulling the strings in midfield in achieving a positive result on Sunday.
Emerging Jets v Bulls FC Academy @ Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, 5pm
At Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, the Emerging Jets host the newly promoted Bulls FC Academy.
The Jets will be a somewhat unknown quantity in the 2023 season, with a new head coach at the helm in Sam Griffin leading the charge.
It took the Jets 20 games last season to get their first win and Griffin will look to change that as early as Sunday with a hopeful round 1 victory.
Newly promoted NPL NSW Women’s side Bulls FC Academy will be pumped and ready to go after a tough preseason under the watchful eye of Jaime Gomez.
Trudy Burke in goals for the Bulls will be of immense importance with all her experience, along with 2022 Football NSW League One Top Scorer Tami De Souza. The game will offer a real test to see where this promoted Bulls team is at.
Macarthur Rams v Manly United @Lynwood Park, 5pm
The reigning Champions, Macarthur Rams, open their campaign at home on Sunday afternoon against Manly United.
Stephen Peters finished 2022 in style and will look to start the new year in exactly the same fashion. Leena Khamis will lead from the front for yet another season alongside Laura Murtagh who had a fantastic 2022 campaign.
Lynwood Park is a tough place to travel to and the Rams will look to turn their home ground into a fortress as they go searching for back-to-back Championships.
For Manly United, the Northern Beaches based club missed out on finals football last season for the second straight campaign. It will be a tough visit out west but Tom Hopley’s side will be prepared for what will be a difficult opening match.
Hopley has lost some big names after last season but the club always manages to produce some new exciting talent from within.
Nicole Stuart, Emily Minett and Teigan Biasi will look be the backbone of Manly United as they commence their quest for a finals series finish.
Gladesville Ravens v Football NSW Institute @Christie Park, 5:10pm
2022 Football NSW League One Premiers and Champions Gladesville Ravens host Football NSW Institute at Christie Park on Sunday.
Hyped for its first match in the NPL NSW Women’s competition, the Ravens will hope that a victory on Sunday will spearhead the team to good fortunes this season.
The Ravens are aiming to contest and survive in the top tier which will hopefully see them build towards an even stronger future.
Ravens coach Andrew Galbraith has kept the majority of his squad from last season and stayed loyal to the players that earned the club promotion. New additions Keisha Allen and Chloe O’Brien will be entrusted with adding further quality to the squad.
The Football NSW Institute have a fantastic system in place and with Lisa Warrener adding continuity in the coaching ranks, it is easier for players to move up the ranks.
Warrener is now leading a new crop of youngsters with Tahlia Franco and Erin Gordon the most experienced in the group. With the talented Maddie Caspers set to make strides in first team football, we’ll be on the look out to see who else can make a name for themselves.
Northern Tigers v Illawarra Stingrays @North Turramurra Rec Area, 5:30pm
Last year’s fallen finalists, Northern Tigers, host their first game of the season at North Turramurra against the Illawarra Stingrays.
Having only recently returned from a pre-season tour of Japan, Jake Stephenson will be pleased with how things have transpired so far for the Tigers. They’d like to write a few wrongs from last season and have once more been thrust within the competition favourites.
Armenian international, Claudia Cholakian, is the biggest addition to Stephenson’s team having arrived from Sydney Olympic over the break. Her attacking prowess could be key in adding more goals to a prolific line up already, which boasts the likes of Shay Evans and captain Hannah McNulty.
With a number of coaching changes across the league, the Stingrays made their own as Steve Gordon takes charge for the 2023 season.
He will once more be able to call upon captain and goal scoring machine Michelle Carney as well as the experienced Caitlin Cooper who will lead from the back. If the Stingrays do pull off a result here, at one of the toughest away venues in the competition, they will be no doubt be sending a strong message to the rest of the competition.
APIA Leichhardt v Sydney University @Lambert Park, 5:00pm
The match of the round takes us to Lambert Park as APIA Leichhardt host 2022 Premiers Sydney University.
The girls from the Inner West look quite a different outfit in 2023 in comparison to last season. Spencer Prior is building a team with a focus on the future but will have some household names ready to rock ‘n’ roll this year.
Sophie Hoban was excellent last season as she hopes to back it up this year while much is expected of Canadian import Bella Habuda.
Estelle Fragalle really impressed in 2022 and showed the club that she is ready for a long term stay as she hopes to deliver more this year.
The additions of former Spartans stars Tanya Borazio and Ash Crofts have added depth in both defence and attack for APIA.
Winning silverware has been the norm at Sydney University for a number of years as the students once again set their sights on more glory.
Coach Emily Husband has managed to continue and improve the foundations her predecessors left so much so, she was selected to lead the Central Coast Mariners A-League Women’s side in its inaugural season next year.
Sydney Uni come into this clash having lost some key players from last season with Courtney Newbon, Ash Irwin and Rola Badawiya all moving on. Husband believes in the youngsters at the club, thus promoting of a number of players into the senior squad from their youth program.
With last year’s NPL NSW Women’s Player of the Year Badawiya moving on, it will be up to Steph Augoustis as she hopes to replicate her former teammates efforts this season up-front.
Last year’s clashes were tight and fiery affairs so expect the same come Sunday.