Three months out from the new A-League Women season, Newcastle Jets and Wellington Phoenix have announced new arrivals (30/7/23).
Above: Claudia Cicco in Wellington Phoenix colours last season, has joined Newcastle Jets. Photo: Friends of Football.
Newcastle Jets have announced the signing of Young Matildas defender Claudia Cicco for the 2023/24 season.
Cicco joins the Jets from Wellington Phoenix where she spent the 2022/23 A-League Women’s campaign in her debut season. Predominantly a centre-back, Cicco is able to operate in a number of positions including as a wing-back, winger, and striker.
Originally from Sydney, Cicco played her junior football for Hurlstone Park Wanderers before playing for Football NSW Institute. Cicco then moved on to APIA Leichhardt before heading over to the Wellington Phoenix where she made a total of 13 appearances in her debut A-League season.
Cicco also made her first appearance for the Young Matildas (U20s) and scored a hat-trick earlier this year against Guam.
Cicco is eager to arrive in Newcastle and make an impact for the 2023/24 A-League season.
“Obviously I’m very excited to be joining the Jets for the coming campaign. I can’t wait to further challenge myself and meet my future teammates. I feel really privileged to have a coach in Gary van Egmond and I’m sure we can achieve great things this season.”
Wellington Phoenix backed up the loss of Cicco by securing Rebecca Lake, a key member of the Canterbury United Pride side that won six national titles in the past decade.
Lake, 24, has played for the Pride since 2014 and in 2020 captained the three-peat winning side, which featured Phoenix regulars Kate Taylor, Alyssa Whinham and Marisa van der Meer, and Football Ferns Annalie Longo, and Gabi Rennie.
“I love the Pride and I’ve loved playing beside all of them,” Lake said. “I look up to them now, so it’ll be awesome to be playing alongside some of them again. I think this is the next step for me. I’ve watched a lot of A-League games over the past couple of seasons and I was like ‘I want to be a part of that’.
“Some of my really good football mates play for the Phoenix and it seems right to play for New Zealand’s only professional women’s team. I want to give professional football a shot and see what I can do.”
The proud Cantabrian is currently playing for Northern Tigers in the New South Wales National Premier Leagues (NPL) first-grade competition after making the move to Sydney earlier this year and has been named in the NSW NPL team of the week twice this season.
“I’ve lived in Christchurch most of my life and I’ve loved playing with the girls there, but I just felt like I needed to do something different this season. I wanted to play in the NPL over here. I heard the New South Wales NPL was the best in Aussie, underneath the A-League. I’ve found it to be competitive and I think it was a good learning curve for me to leave New Zealand.”
Lake has represented New Zealand at U-17 and U-20 level and was one of eight uncapped players named in the Football Ferns squad for their two matches against the USA in January.
Alongside football, Lake works full-time as an accountant and will soon become a fully qualified chartered accountant. She plans to continue to work part-time when she arrives in Wellington for the start of pre-season and is excited about the chance to play professional football.
“I’m a centre back who focuses on composure, pass completion, and aerial dominance. I’m looking forward to the challenge of the A-League and playing with the Phoenix this season. I’m going to be competing for a starting spot, but if I’m not there yet I’m still going to bring my leadership and support to the team.
“I was talking to (coach) Paul (Temple) and he was saying ‘your experience through football, but also life is paramount’ so hopefully I can be a bit of a leader and older head even though I’m only 24-years-old.”
Temple says Lake has earned her first professional contract by being a consistent high performer in the national league.
“It’s important there is a pathway for our young women who perform well domestically,” he said. “So many of our players came through the national league and it’s great to be able to give Bex an opportunity to join them at the next level.
“Despite being young she’s won numerous titles, and she’s a fierce competitor that will add leadership to our squad. Bex deserves this opportunity and I’m convinced she has the character and quality to step up into professional football.”
Lake is the seventh player confirmed in the Wellington Phoenix women’s squad for the 2023-24 season, joining fellow defenders Mackenzie Barry and Marisa van der Meer, midfielders Chloe Knott and Alyssa Whinham, and forwards Michaela Robertson and Emma Main.
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