For this week’s WA on Wednesday feature, Hyundai NTC’s attacking star Tanika Lala speaks exclusively to Ben Gilby about her footballing journey from the Western Australia Goldfields to becoming one of the NPLW WA’s top scorers and going on trial in Scotland. All whilst still a teenager (5/7/23)
Above: Tanika Lala (right) celebrates a goal for Hyundai NTC this season in the NPLW WA. Photo: Fotoenzo.
Tanika Lala is one of the outstanding young attacking talents in Western Australian women’s football. I’ve seen a fair few promising teenagers in Western Australia down the years ever since I first watched Sam Kerr play at the age of 16. Lala is one of the best that I’ve watched since.
The 19-year-old has the enviable mix of searing pace, outstanding close control, and a great eye for goal. The scary thing for defenders is that the teenager still has huge potential for further improvement.
The attacker from the Goldfields area of the state (around 590km – 360 miles north-east of Perth), first began kicking a ball during break at primary school. It was an experience that she described previously in an interview with ‘The West Australian’ as being “love at first kick.”
Lala, who describes herself as “a well-rounded player that is capable of handling the fundamentals and making a difference on the pitch,” began our chat by describing how this love of the game took hold of her.
“I urged my father to sign me up for my school team because I played every day during recess. I started my footballing career at South Kalgoorlie FC until the name changed to Kalgoorlie College. I played with this club until I was 16 years old.
“I soon became a part of the women’s senior team. Even though I loved playing for both teams, doing so was stressful on my body, so I switched to playing for the women’s team for an additional two years. I participated in the TSP (Football West Talent Support Program) in 2020–21. Josh Chiat, a coach based in the area, was the one who suggested I try out for NTC (Western Australia’s branch of the National Training Centre). I, therefore, relocated to Perth to further my football career. I’ve been enjoying every moment of being a full-time player at NTC for the past two years.”
That move to Perth was a big decision to make for the teenager and her family. The journey time from Kalgoorlie in the Goldfields to Perth is over six hours, and the attacker detailed just what the impact of that was.
“My parents drove me to Perth to participate in my first lot of trials in 2020 and I was accepted as an associate player for the 2021 season because I was still living in Kalgoorlie at the time. In my last year of school. I made the six-hour commute twice every month, and perhaps more or less depending on my workload at school. My school made adjustments and were supportive with me undertaking this frequent trip to Perth. I went for another NTC trial in 2021 after the season and I was subsequently accepted as a full-time player.”
Whilst the challenges involved in travelling, playing, and studying were huge, Lala identifies her self-confidence as the biggest hurdle she has had to overcome. I never thought it could be possible for me to become a professional footballer. Furthermore, my self-doubt would in turn impact my motivation levels as I was not investing a lot into my training or fitness.
“I really had to force myself to build resilience and fight for a dream that wasn’t as far-fetched as I initially imagined. So I turned motivation into discipline and began to train like an athlete should. Football players are susceptible to various injuries, which can disrupt their training and playing time. I personally had to overcome an ongoing knee injury.
“Overcoming this challenge involves proper rehabilitation, working closely with medical professionals, following a structured recovery plan, and gradually returning to full fitness. Mental resilience is also crucial during this period, as players may face frustration or doubts about their abilities. Staying positive and maintaining a strong support system can help them overcome these challenges. It’s important to stay focused, learn from failures, and keep striving for improvement.”
The Hyundai NTC team in the NPLW WA play a style of football that is extremely pleasing on the eye. There are highly technical passing triangles mixed in with accurate cross-field switches. The skills required to play this style of game are significant for experienced players – yet this is a team made up of 15 to 19-year-olds.
The attacker, not surprisingly spoke of her huge level of enjoyment in playing the sort of style that head coach Ben Anderton encourages. “The NTC style of play is top quality and it’s a privilege to be a part of what NTC is doing.
“I’m so proud of my teammates, especially considering some of the players are as young as 15 or 16 who play with such maturity. Under fantastic coaches implementing core values and despite the result we stick to our principles. It’s pleasant to play too, not only to watch for the spectators.”
The NTC are looking to build on the successes of last season that saw the youngsters reach the NPLW WA Top Four Cup Final, with Lala finishing as the league’s second highest scorer. It was a campaign that the 19-year-old will always look back on with pride.
“Being able to make the top four finals in my first season in the NPL was a huge accomplishment last year. However, thinking back on that season, it does put a little pressure on me to do well in my second season. I didn’t really have high expectations for my first year. I simply entered each game looking to contribute to the team’s improvement and, ideally, to the team’s success.”
That success also saw a busy end to the campaign. Due to the scheduling of Finals football last season, the NTC had to play a midweek game with Perth SC that went to extra time to decide their place in the Grand Final, whilst opponents Perth RedStar had a week off after taking the direct route to the season decider.
Playing so many important games in such a short space of time took its toll, as Lala reflects. “It was very challenging. We all played hard and put our bodies on the line in that top four finals games. Extra time was not helpful to us at all.
“It is obvious that both teams’ legs were heavy and worn out, at least mine were. Yet both were very hungry to win. We didn’t have enough time to recover to the point where we were ready to play our best in the final game, (the NTC went down 3-0) but that’s football.
“We had to play, and sadly we didn’t play the game the way we wanted to. Being able to advance to the final by defeating two excellent teams in conjunction with being in fourth place makes me very proud of my team.”
This season, the NTC are pushing hard for a top-four spot again, and as well as being in the goals again, the attacker has recently returned from a series of trials in Scotland with Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL – top tier) clubs Glasgow City and Heart of Midlothian.
“That was probably one of my highest milestones in my football life where I was invited to attend professional trials in Scotland for Glasgow City. Amazingly, a week or so later they won the SWPL. I was able to test myself against the Scottish champions and witnessed intensity and professionalism at the highest level.
“I also attended trials at Heart of Midlothian in Edinburgh, and Hearts finished fourth in the league. Both experiences were great and I got some interesting and exciting feedback, which gave me an extra desire to work towards my future goals. Thankfully I have a supportive family, friends, and team around me at NTC, players, and technical staff that I can always rely on. I recently signed up with an agent (Sisu Sports Management) to help me in my career and search for opportunities both locally and abroad.
“I certainly wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to play overseas. The most important factor I would take into consideration is whether the environment would be adequate for my development. I really would like to see myself obtaining an opportunity to play alongside the best players in the world, and an opportunity like that would be my dream.
“I am working hard at NTC which is my short-term priority and hopefully I can progress from there. The natural progression would be making it into a professional contract in the A-League Women. What happens after that would be an added benefit. I would like to represent my home team (Perth Glory) but also look at opportunities whenever they present themselves.”
Tanika Lala is one of the most exciting young players in Western Australia right now. As thrilling as she is to watch currently, she has the potential to be even better. Remember the name.
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