With the semi-finals of the top flight of Mexican women’s football played over the past week, Impetus’ Jorge Ceron rounds up all the action (19/5/22).
Above: Charlyn Corral celebrates one of her goals for Pachuca. Photo: @Tuzosfemenil
In the still very young Mexican women’s soccer league, there are two teams that stand out for being the most successful, Tigres de la UANL with their four league titles and three runner-up finishes in the eight league tournaments, and the Rayadas del Monterey with two titles and three sub-championships.
These two teams along with Chivas de Guadalajara (winners of the first league in history) and Tuzas de Pachuca (runners-up in the first league in history) would be the protagonists of the prelude to the final of the Clausura 2022 Tournament.
Rayadas Monterrey (1) vs Pachuca Women (4)
The first leg was played at Hidalgo stadium in the capital of Hidalgo, Pachuca, a city where according to several historians the first soccer game was played in Mexico, a sport brought by the English miners. The favourites and champions Rayadas arrived to face a team with high morale after eliminating the Eagles of America.
The game ended 2-0 in favour of Pachuca, a score that put the champions against the wall, but the result was secondary. The important thing in this game was the pair of goals scored by Charlin Corral, both goals worthy of being in a museum!
Above: Pachuca celebrating Viridana Salazar’s goal that would give them the ticket to the final. Photo: @Tuzosfemenil
Corral has not been called up to the national team for a long time for reasons outside of soccer. Let’s hope for the good of the Mexican team to see her in July in the qualifiers for Australia / New Zealand 2023, since she brings a superlative level of play. The qualifying tournament of CONCACAF will provide for direct tickets to the World Cup with two nations getting a second chance in playoffs. The qualifying tournament will take place in Monterrey.
Back to the second leg of this semi. Monterrey needed to win by two goals to advance to the final and continue with the dream of bi-championship. In the first half, Monterrey tried but could not score until the 48th minute when Yamile Franco brought the game closer with a great goal. Rayadas went with everything and got a reward by obtaining a penalty. Captain Rebeca Bernal scored on 57 minutes. This tied it up on aggregate. However, in the next play, Viridiana Salazar silenced the stadium to put the visitors 3-2 ahead on aggregate. Rayadas went in search of the goal that would save them, but they could not get it anymore, the champions were eliminated.
Chivas Guadalajara (2) vs. UANL Tigres (3)
Above: Karol Bernal celebrates her goal that brought Chivas to life in the tie. Photo: @ChivasFemenil
This was the duel of the undefeated. Neither of these teams lost throughout the season. The UANL team arrived with only one loss in its last 63 games and looking for its 8th consecutive final. The first leg was played at the Universitario stadium in the state of Nuevo León. Tigres Femenil entered to a huge welcome.
Both teams were nervy. Chivas with a great defense, combined this with several shots as they tried to take the game to Guadalajara. But the goal did not come. It was not until the 62nd minute when the American Mia Fishel scored the first goal of the game for Tigres. The second goal came, the work of Uchenna Kanu who scored her 12th goal in Mexico in just 19 games, stats that have earned a call up for her country to play the African Cup of Nations in July, hosted by Morocco.
Tigres were not able to get a third, but even so, they took a very important advantage for the second leg in Guadalajara. It must be mentioned that in this game Lizbeth Ovalle, one of the most important players for Tigres, was injured. Casandra Montero from Chivas also left due to discomfort.
Above: Chivas fans celebrate their team’s incredible success. Photo: @ChivasFemenil
In the return game, Chivas needed something more than complicated. The visitors had played more than 100 games without losing by that amount. Tigres were just about to score the first, but a heavenly intervention by Angelica Torres prevented it, in the same way Carolina Jaramillo saved a shot on the line with her head.
A goal finally came two minutes before the break when Karol Bernal scored with a header and made the Chivas dream. It was her first career goal. The second half was nervy for both teams, if Chivas dedicated themselves to defending themselves in the first game, Tigres did the same this time. When it seemed that Tigres would reach its eighth consecutive final, with four minutes left, Kimberly Guzman scored the second for the hosts – a goal that gave them the pass to the final. Chivas eliminated the favourites Tigres.
The final will be Chivas vs. Pachuca. The games will be on Saturday at 3am UK time and on Tuesday at 2am in the UK.
Above: An artist impression of Brisbane Roar’s new A-League Women Centre of Excellence. Image supplied to Impetus by: Brisbane Roar.
Brisbane Roar’s elite new A-League Women’s and Academy home will soon become a reality after major work officially began on the $22 million Moreton Bay facility.
Head Coach Garrath McPherson, midfielder Hollie Palmer, and the club’s Vice-Chairman Chris Fong joined Moreton Bay Region mayor Peter Flannery in Brendale on Thursday to turn the first sod on the Women’s Centre of Excellence and Youth Academy.
The site will become one of the best women’s sports facilities in Australia once complete and a great new breeding ground for Queensland football talent.
“We’re thrilled to turn the sod today and bring us one step closer to this brilliant new base in Moreton Bay,” Mr Fong said.
Above: Brisbane Roar head coach Garrath McPherson speaking at today’s ceremony. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Brisbane Roar.
“The people of Moreton Bay are proud and passionate supporters of football and especially women’s football, so we can’t wait to bring our A-League Women’s program and our youth academy to this part of South East Queensland.
“This will be a huge advantage and benefit to our players, and it’s a big part of our strategic plan to not only reclaim our place at the top of the A-League Women’s competition but to grow the sport in Queensland.
“I’d like to thank the Moreton Bay Regional Council for delivering this amazing new facility and hope to have a long and successful partnership.”
Construction is set for completion in early 2023, in time for the FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil.
The Roar will benefit from three natural turf fields plus dedicated recovery spaces, a gym and training room, three changerooms, and a clubhouse incorporating coaching and administrative offices as well as spectator amenities.
Above: Brisbane Roar player Hollie Palmer at today’s ceremony. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Brisbane Roar.
Mayor Flannery said the deal between Moreton Bay Regional Council and the Roar would see hundreds, if not thousands, of aspiring young footballers take up the sport and emulate their heroes.
“Moreton Bay is positioning itself as an up and coming sports capital of Australia, especially for women, fresh after hosting the history-making 2022 NRLW Grand Final,” he said.
“Participation in women’s sport is skyrocketing and we want to be at the forefront of developing facilities that will help grow women’s sport locally and nationally.
“This $22 million investment comprises state of the art high-performance facilities for the Roar as well as brand new facilities to support the growth of our existing local clubs.
“The Roar facility will have the best modern features for a professional squad to be competitive like a high-performance gym, ice baths, coaches’ offices, and changerooms modelled on Manchester City club rooms, as well as architectural design features to make it a welcoming space to be in.”
Perth Red Star’s Larissa Walsh recently played her 230th game for the club, including matches under their previous guise as the Northern Redbacks. She has been part of one of Western Australia’s foremost women’s sporting teams for 10 years now. In the latest of our WA On Wednesday interview features with NPL WA Women players, Larissa spoke to Impetus’ Ben Gilby about her career so far(18/5/22).
Above: Larissa Walsh captured on a typical marauding run for Northern Redbacks in this year’s Night Series Grand Final against Balcatta Etna. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Perth RedStar.
Larissa Walsh has been in outstanding form this season, scoring 10 goals for Perth RedStar in their first six matches as her team have built a big lead at the top of the table. She is arguably the outstanding player in the WA NPL Women’s competition right now.
Walsh was brought up in the town of Albany – Western Australia’s southern-most city – located around 260 miles south-east of Perth. Coming from a football-centred family, she started playing at the age of four.
“I grew up always being down at the soccer grounds every day watching my dad play or coach while also playing myself. I played in both the boy’s and women’s leagues while also playing for my school and Albany at country week.”
Walsh highlights the importance of her father in her career from those early days watching him play. “He was a huge idol for me as a kid. I could never get the ball off him when we went for a kick in the park!” she smiles. “While watching his games, I remember him doing all these tricks and still keeping the ball.
Above: Larissa Walsh turns away in joy after scoring against Balcatta Etna in the Night Series Grand Final this year. Photo provided to Impetus by: Perth RedStar.
“I then moved to Perth after finishing school. One of my coaches down in Albany played for Northern Redbacks previously and was back playing there, so she dragged me along to a training session. This was back at the start of 2012. Since then, I have always played for the Northern Redbacks – now Perth RedStar.”
Walsh is a player who catches the eye instantly on the wing with her pace and ability to take on and beat players. Qualities that she feels are well suited to playing for the club. “The most important aspect of my game is my speed, and because of this I think I am more suited for an attacking style of play where the team can do quick counter-attacks or sudden burst of plays.”
Walsh has now been part of the club for 10 years. Known as Northern Redbacks, the team have been Western Australia’s most successful female-only club. They had won 15 league championships and nine state league cups along with becoming Inter-State Challenge Cup winners in 2013 after beating Adelaide City.
Big-name players such as Lisa De Vanna and Kim Carroll have all been part of the club, who have long had a successful youth policy.
Having been part of this team for so long, Walsh has experienced some of the biggest highs in Western Australian women’s football.
“There are so many moments I am so proud of. Personally, there would be three key moments I am grateful for. The first one would be where I scored a hat-trick against Beckenham Angels. We needed to win this game as it was a top-of-the-table clash, and to be able to contribute to this was great.
Above: Larissa Walsh in possession against Balcatta Etna in the Night Series Grand Final. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Perth RedStar.
“The second would be joint-winning the golden boot last year. In previous seasons I would rarely score more than four goals. However, last year I managed to get 15 goals in league games. I had put a lot of work into the off-season and during the season, while the whole team also lifted last year and to see all our hard work contribute to this makes it an outstanding achievement.
“Finally, I think the third achievement would have to be winning this year’s night series final against Balcatta Etna. That was a unique game for so many reasons, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. It was a game with a fairy tale ending.
“It was the last game as the Northern Redbacks, before we merged to become Perth RedStar. We hadn’t won a night series final in a few years, and we were able to do it in front of a fantastic support base.
“When we went down 2-0 to Balcatta, I remember thinking this cannot be how the Redbacks era would end. And sure enough, it wasn’t.
“We went into halftime 2-1 down. I remember sitting in the circle on the field and looking around. We all looked so angry, but not mad at each other. It was more we all knew we could win this game, and we knew what we had to do, and I think this was the secret, we never got angry at each other, but instead, we all knew to step up and be there for each other.
“Going into the second half on the field, you could see the improvement. We wanted to win. When we got that second goal, it was such a relief. Going into extra time, we were all running on adrenaline, and we used this to our advantage, we were able to keep our cool and control the game, and from this, we managed to score two more goals.
Above: Larissa Walsh (far right) pictured after this year’s Night Series Grand Final victory. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Perth RedStar.
“The best part for me is that the four goals came from senior players – Shawn Bilham, Quyen Done, myself, and Carla Bennett – which I think is unique. To be a part of this club for so long and contribute to this is such a fantastic honour.
“The club is like being a part of a great football family. Game days you see the juniors come down to support the first team, parents come up to you saying they enjoyed the game, and we have an amazing support base who are often at all our games.
It’s great being a part of a team who all want to set a high standard for women’s football in Western Australia is great. Each week we want to improve from the previous week not only as a team but also as individuals, it makes you really enjoy the game when everyone is on the same page.”
Walsh mentions above that the Night Series Final win over Balcatta Etna was the Northern Redbacks final game under that name. Ahead of the new NPL Women’s season, the club merged with men’s side ECU Joondalup to form Perth RedStar. A significant facilities upgrade and a long-term plan to make the club one of the most prominent in the Australian game have been stated, but what has the process been like for someone who has been part of the Redbacks club for so long?
“I have always seen the merger as a positive move,” Walsh admitted. “With the NPL growing stronger and clubs looking to recruit the best players was only logical for this to happen. As much as we also prided on being a female-only club, it would have been difficult to maintain a professional standard financially. So if the club wanted to demand a higher standard from the players, they needed to provide the right environment.
“With the merger, this has already begun to happen. Of course, these things take time, and the merger hasn’t been a smooth ride, but it is slowly coming together. We cannot expect it to be excellent from the get-go. As the season progresses, people outside the club will start to see its benefits while the players have already begun to see it.”
With the 2022 WA NPL Women’s season in full flow now, Walsh is determined that the first campaign under the RedStar banner will be a success.
Above: Larissa Walsh pictured in action for Perth RedStar during the NPL WA campaign this season. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Perth RedStar.
“Our training standards have increased, and everyone is pushing each other to maintain a certain level, translating into the games. I have a few personal goals myself, but this year I think the overall aim for the club is to win the league. But, of course, if you ask any team, this is their overall goal.
“So, another one of our aims would be to develop the junior players coming through the club. This has already started with some U21s training with the first team and exposing them to RedStar NPL standard. We also have a good balance of senior and junior players in the first team, which I think is an essential factor in allowing the junior players’ development. Contributing to this as a player has also benefited my development.”
This season looks to offer a unique set of circumstances in the WA NPL as there have been a raft of roster changes at clubs across the competition which, perhaps could benefit a RedStars side with so many familiar names in.
“Some players have gone over east (to New South Wales and Victoria) and some players have not returned to the league for this season,” Walsh stated.
“Every year the competition will gradually get stronger as the standard is raised, but this year I think it will be known as a rebuilding year for many clubs. Watching a lot of the games already you see many junior players getting their first NPL minutes, many of them playing a full 90 minutes.
“I think because of this, teams will have up and down games as they try to develop players and may struggle if they do not have enough experienced players to guide the junior players. However, we all have to start somewhere and as these players gain the experience, teams will start to find their groove and by the end of the season, I think some teams may cause some upsets.”
Kieran Yap provides his weekly round-up of all the action from the Victoria NPLWomen’s competition. As usual, there is a detailed report on one game and a wrap of all the other matches along with photos(18/5/22).
Above: Action from Heidelberg United (yellow) against Bulleen Lions. Photo:Gold Leaf Creative.
MAIN REPORT OF THE WEEK:
Heidelberg United 3-0 Bulleen Lions
Round Seven of Victoria’s NPLW provided a top-of-the-table clash. The league leaders Heidelberg and Bulleen faced off with the winner set to secure first place.
Bulleen welcomed back Alana Jancevski to the starting eleven. The promising centre forward has appeared off the bench previously and has the potential to score from anywhere. However, as she returns to fitness, Bulleen have clearly taken a cautious approach.
Above: Alana Jancevski returned to action for Bulleen Lions at Heidelberg United. Photo: Gold Leaf Creative.
It was not all good news for the Lions however, star playmaker Paige Zois was absent. In a game where space in midfield was paramount, the player who can create it out of nothing was badly missed.
Heidelberg had the early momentum. They controlled the midfield and moved the ball easily in transition from defence to attack.
Bulleen found most of their early space deep, but were forced into playing long quick passes. If they bypassed the Heidelberg defenders, the ball was easily mopped up by Melissa Maizels in goal.
Heidelberg United had three shots on target in the opening 30 minutes, and one of those ended up in the back of the net.
Keely Lockhart made the early breakthrough in the 27th minute. Heidelberg swiftly moved the ball along the left flank and Danielle Wise cut it inside to Lockhart who took one touch to skip around a defender and another to fire the home side into the lead from long range.
Above: Heidelberg United in possession against Bulleen Lions. Photo: Gold Leaf Creative.
Bulleen tried to respond quickly and earned a free-kick from the edge of the box. Jancevski’s shot was on target and potentially troublesome but Maizels got down low and saved comfortably.
Early in the second half, Heidelberg doubled their lead. Uncharacteristic hesitation in the Bulleen defence saw Grace Jale close in on goal. A slip by the Bulleen defender meant that the New Zealand striker could burst free and round the keeper to slot home in the 48th minute.
Lia Privitelli looked like Bulleen’s best chance of getting back into the game. She skipped into space and launched a shot that Maizels did well to save. It was looking like an individual moment would be the visitors’ best chance.
Privitelli had another chance soon after. Tiffany Eliadis threaded a wide pass into her path, but her shot at full pace went over the bar.
Grace Jale provided a moment of magic for Heidelberg, her brilliant backheel flick put Lockhart in space. The pass to Wise left her with only Shields to beat in goal. The carefully placed curling effort crashed off the crossbar.
Above: Western Australian youngster Bella Wallhead in action for Heidelberg United against Bulleen Lions. Photo: Gold Leaf Creative.
Privitelli created the best opening for her side when she cut between two Heidelberg defenders on the wing. Her cross found Eliadis unopposed, and directly in front of goal. Maizel’s somehow dove and got a strong hand to it, making one of the best saves of the year.
The match was sealed in the 88th minute. It was Wise and Jale again causing problems. Jale’s cross was cleared by Bulleen but not far enough. The ball was met at the edge of the penalty area by Wise who volleyed home with perfect technique.
It was a 3-0 win to Heidelberg and the reward was top place. Bulleen were below their best but can look forward to strengthening this season as Jancevski returns to full form. Remarkably, they still sit second and have yet to field a full strength team.
This week was all about Heidelberg though. They scored three and could have had more. Every time their defence was breached, Maizels was able to answer either comfortably or spectacularly. Up the other end, Jale was dominant. Bulleen’s defence had no answer to her mobility, strength, and pace.
Bulleen will get a chance to respond when they host South Melbourne. Heidelberg United are expected to continue their winning ways against Bayside United FC.
Above: Calder United (white) in action against Alamein. Photo: Jack Dilks/171819
In other results, South Melbourne won for the first time this season against Box HillUnited on the weekend. Goals from Akeisha Sandhu and Jenna Lawson ensured a 2-0 win to lift the club off the bottom of the table. They followed that up with a 3-3 draw against the in-form FV Emerging side on Tuesday night.
Calder United continued their impressive form with a 2-0 win over Alamein after Stacey Papadopoulos and Harriet Withers found the net.
FVEmerging put four past Bayside United. Sarah Cain and Meave Brown each scored once. Anikda Dovaston registered a brace in an impressive performance.
Three Liberty A-League Women clubs have this week made head coach-related announcements.
Western Sydney Wanderers appointed Kat Smith today for the next two seasons.
The AFC/FFA Pro Licence holder comes to Western Sydney after plying her trade at both a domestic and national team level, having held coaching roles within the A-Leagues and Matildas set-up.
Smith was formerly the assistant coach at Melbourne Victory and during her time at the club was named the 2018 Female Coach of the Year and was called up to join the Matildas’ technical staff as a scout for the FIFA 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
More recently, Smith has been balancing her time between an analyst and assistant role with the Junior Matildas (Australia’s U17s squad) as well as being the head coach of Alamein FC, one of the eight inaugural teams in the Victorian Women’s National Premier League.
The next two seasons at the club will see Smith mentored and supported by the Wanderers Head of Women’s Football, Tom Sermanni, with the duo tasked to build the foundations for the next generation of national team players to come from Western Sydney.
Western Sydney Wanderers CEO Scott Hudson welcomed Kat to the club by saying: “Kat has had such a range of experience and leads the direction in where we want to go as a club in building our women’s team and program.
“It is very important that we give opportunities to young domestic coaches and we build the team over the next two seasons to breed consistency and success. We are also proud to have Tom Sermanni involved to help guide and mentor one of the best up and coming coaches in the country.”
Artwork: Western Sydney Wanderers
Head of Women’s Football Tom Sermanni praised the appointment. “The key thing here is that it’s a significant appointment on several levels. When you look at Kat’s background, you see that she has accumulated an impressive resume in football to get to this stage.
“Kat is a fantastic example for aspiring coaches having been part of the elite youth level, senior Matildas staff, an assistant coach, and a head coach in the National Premier League.
“This shows that she’s ready to be running our women’s program as she has built the foundations of her coaching career.”
Kat Smith herself said she was excited to be starting her journey at the Red & Black. “It’s really exciting. The timing of the opportunity couldn’t be any better given it’s on the eve of the boom of women’s football in this country. I’m really excited to take on this opportunity at such a big club and ride that wave to bring success on and off the field.
“In sport, we know that continuity does drive performance. Success breeds off the back of that so to have the opportunity to build that over the next two seasons is something that I hope will lead towards results and success.
“Obviously, there’s the aspiration in this league to make Finals as that is the structure in place for the Liberty A-League competition.
“My driver is to be the best version of myself for these players as they have so many opportunities in front of them. For me personally, it’s bringing something to their journey and to their lives that’s positive and that’s going to create change and success for them.”
Artwork: Canberra United.
Canberra United have announced that Njegosh Popovich has been appointed as Head Coach for Season 15 of the Liberty A-League.
It’s a return home for Popovich who was Assistant Coach in the national Capital from September 2015 to March 2017 helping the club to the runners-up spot in season eight and then helping them be crowned Premiers the following year.
“I am thrilled to have been appointed as Head Coach for Canberra United and am very excited about getting started at the club,” Popovich said of the announcement.
“My aim is to put Canberra United back on the map in the Liberty Women’s A-League. The club has a strong and proud history, and we should be challenging for league titles and playing in Grand Finals.
“My goal is to achieve that, and I am confident that we can regain our position as one of the most prominent clubs in the competition.”
Popovich has quite some pedigree in the coaching world coming into the United set-up off the back of a successful five-year stint as Assistant Coach with the Junior Matildas where he was part of the squad that finished 4th at the AFC Women’s Championship in Thailand in 2019.
“We considered a number of potential candidates for the role of Head Coach and Njegosh’s profile ticked all the right boxes for us as an organisation,” Canberra United CEO Chris Gardiner commented.
“Njegosh brings a highly valued CV, an understanding of Women’s football, and is across the local football scene. He is Canberra-born, has experience through Canberra United, and is a very capable Canberra local to lead the club forward.
“I’ve never received such strong references in a selection process, and in this instance, both as a coach and as a person, I am very confident he is the right coach for the Club, the key players we have and want, and the ALW in 2022/23.
“We are looking forward to welcoming Njegosh back to Canberra United.”
Popovich was formerly the Technical Director and Head Coach at National Premier League side Monaro Panthers, Assistant Coach at Canberra Olympic in the same competition and was Head Coach for the ACT Schoolboys and the Canberra United Academy U15 and U18 representative teams.
As a player he represented the ACT at youth, school, and senior-level, toured with the Australian Futsal Team to Brazil in 1995 and won several titles with Canberra Olympic. He also played in the National Soccer League with the Canberra Cosmos and the NSW Super League for both Canberra City and Inter Monaro.
Artwork: Newcastle Jets.
Meanwhile, Newcastle Jets are pleased to announce the re-signing of A-League Women’s Head Coach Ash Wilson for the upcoming 2022/23 Liberty A-League season.
Wilson will enter her third season as the helm of the Jets Women’s side and her eighth as part of the team’s coaching ranks as the Club look to build on the promising foundation that’s been created over the past two campaigns.
The Jets Head Coach said she was pleased to extend her tenure and is grateful for the opportunity to continue growing the Women’s team.
“I’m very excited and proud to continue my role with the Newcastle Jets,” Wilson said.
“All I have ever wanted was to support the Club and the community to achieve success and to play a brand of football that epitomises the spirit of the town.
“We have faced our challenges over the past two seasons, but there has also been plenty of growth and potential and I’m thankful the Club has backed me to continue to do the job I set out to do.”
Newcastle Jets Executive Chairman Shane Mattiske said: “We’re delighted to confirm Ash as the coach once again for the upcoming A-League Women’s competition.
“She has a great connection with this Club and the community, and we are looking forward to building on her wealth of experience with a strong team around her on and off the field.”
Above: Visually impaired JMF participant, Alyawarr boyTarrant Jackson (16 years-old), celebrates a goal in Tennant Creek, in the Northern Territory. Photo provided by Impetus by: Moriarty Foundation.
A new partnership between John Moriarty Football and Australian Blind Football, will ensure blind and vision-impaired Aboriginal children in some of Australia’s most disadvantaged and remote communities will have the opportunity to participate in a game-changing football initiative.
According to Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, eye and vision problems are the most common long-term health conditions experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Thanks to the John Moriarty Football (JMF) and Australian Blind Football (ABF) partnership blind and vision impaired (BVI) Aboriginal children will be able to participate in JMF’s transformational program through the use of audible balls. It will also facilitate coach education to build knowledge and capacity to provide football opportunities for people who are blind or partially sighted.
MF Co-Founder and Co-Chair and the first Indigenous footballer to be selected to play for Australia, Yanyuwa man John Moriarty AM, said, “This partnership with ABF is game-changing. Improving access to the game of football is paramount to us at JMF.”
“Our program is designed to address the barriers of football participation for Aboriginal girls and boys in remote and regional communities, whether they are caused by remoteness, lack of sporting facilities, economic disadvantage, and now, vision. We know that football has the power to unlock the potential of Indigenous children, just as it did for me.”
Each week JMF delivers to over 2,000 Indigenous girls and boys aged 2 to 18 years in 19 remote and regional communities in New South Wales, Queensland, and the Northern Territory.
Above: Vision impaired JMF participants practice with audible footballs in Tennant Creek, NT. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Moriarty Foundation.
JMF Tennant Creek Community Coach Warumungu man Patrick Coleman, said, “At JMF Tennant Creek we have two visually impaired young fellas that participate in the program. When we got the audible footballs from ABF they got really excited and happy. It was a really great feeling to see their reaction because not only could they practice their skills, they could also participate in a fun game with the rest of their peers and to me they looked more confident.”
A core purpose for ABF is to develop and support grassroots participation opportunities for people of all ages, genders, abilities and levels of vision loss to play football.
ABF National Manager Dave Connolly, said, ”We are extremely excited to be partnering with John Moriarty Football, an organisation with a long standing and successful community football program. At ABF, we believe in football for all and by working with JMF staff we will be able to support their coaches in providing opportunities for children who are blind or partially sighted in Australia’s most remote Indigenous communities to play football. You never know, we might even discover a future blind footballer to take the field at the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics.”
JMF is Australia’s longest-running and most successful Indigenous football initiative for 2-18-year-olds. JMF’s transformational skills program uses football (soccer) for talent and positive change and has a track record of improving school attendance and achieving resilient, healthier outcomes for some of Australia’s most disadvantaged and remote Indigenous communities.
Blind football is played by athletes who are blind or vision impaired. Internationally the sport is governed by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA). There are two formats of the game, blind football (B1) and partially sighted/vision impaired futsal (B2/B3). Blind football (B1) is an internationally recognised sport played at the Paralympics.
Stand by for some very exciting news in the coming weeks which will further strengthen the links between Impetus and our charity partners Moriarty Foundation.
Above: Pride Park’s Maja Znamirowska(blue shirt) scores her hundredth goal for the club. Photo: Shaun Hardwick.
A second-half hat-trick from Maja Znamirowska fuelled an impressive comeback from Pride Park away at Mickleover on Sunday. A 4-3 win on the day was enough to seal second place in the tier seven Derbyshire Ladies League Division One with one match to play.
With the previous encounters between these two teams this season ending in an 8-0 win for Pride Park and a 6-4 victory for Mickleover, it was clear that any outcome was possible. Despite the high-scoring history, the first half was one of few chances. Pride looked a bit disjointed to start and struggled to get passing movements going, and when they did, Mickleover’s sweeping centre-back was always on hand to tidy up any promising attacks.
The opening goal of the game was an avoidable one as Pride failed to deal with the second phase of a corner, and a weak but accurate shot nestled into the bottom corner from Mickleover’s number three from the edge of the box. Park looked to respond quickly and their best chance of the first half came from a long-range effort that was well hit by Eliot Sayavong but ultimately flew over the crossbar.
With the first half looking like it was going to peter out without further action, Mickleover once again took advantage of some sloppy play on the edge of the area and their striker hit a thunderous strike up and over Jade Howell to double the home side’s lead.
Above: Pride Park goalkeeper Jade Howell makes a save on Sunday against Mickleover Sports. Photo: Shaun Hardwick.
Pride Park hadn’t looked themselves in the first half, but despite the two-goal deficit, it was clear that the game was there for the taking if they raised their level – the goals conceded were the only real chances Mickleover manufactured.
The visitors came out of the blocks at full speed in the second 45, getting first to every ball and pushing forward with purpose. They quickly earned a free kick as Summer Evans was taken down just outside the 18, but the free-kick from Tash Allderidge was comfortably held by the keeper.
This was just the start of the pressure, however, as Pride kept Mickleover penned into their half for most of the opening 15 minutes of the second half, and any counters from the home side were swiftly dealt with by the backline. On the one occasion Mickleover did breakthrough, they were thwarted by some brave goalkeeping from Jade Howell, snuffing out the chance at the striker’s feet.
The Pride Park pressure continued, and it wasn’t long until they a goal back. A shot from distance from Beth Thompson bounced awkwardly on the hard ground and up onto the crossbar, and a melee ensued until Maja Znamirowska popped up in the right place at the right time, as she has so many times, to fire home from close range. This goal was Znamirowska 100th for the club in just 82 appearances since her debut in 2016 (full a feature article on Maja Znamirowska, click here: https://impetusfootball.org/2022/02/10/maja-znamirowska-aiming-to-be-pride-parks-first-to-a-hundred/)
The momentum was fully swinging Pride Park’s way now, and the equaliser came ten minutes later, as an inch-perfect cross from Tash Allderidge on the right was headed home by Znamirowska from about a yard out at the far post. Five minutes later the comeback was complete, as a long free-kick from Annie Laight on the halfway line was headed past the Mickleover keeper by one of her own players from inside the box.
Above: Summer Evans in possession for Pride Park at Mickleover Sports on Sunday. Photo: Shaun Hardwick.
Pride Park won the ball back almost immediately after the kickoff, and an inch-perfect through ball from Summer Evans set Maja Znamirowska away with just the keeper to beat, and she rounded off her hat-trick with a tidy finish into the far corner.
Mickleover hadn’t looked like scoring from open play in the second half, so it took a 30-yard free-kick goal to add some nerves to the final minutes, but Pride Park saw out the game without further event for the 4-3 victory.
Three points were fully deserved for an excellent second-half display, and coupled with Borrowash Victoria’s 1-1 draw at Draycott, saw Pride Park seal second place in the league, a feat last achieved by the team in the 2017/18 season. It is a great achievement in what has been an incredibly competitive league this season.
A special mention must go to stand-in referee Pearse Lavery after the official didn’t turn up and we were left without a referee at kick-off – and without him, the game could not have taken place.
Pride Park have one further game to play, when they travel to Borrowash Victoria on May 29th.
Ahead of today’s inaugural CP Women’s World Cup Final, Impetus’ Ben Gilby heard from top scorer Georgia Biekhoff and head coach Kelly Stirton (17/5/22).
Above: Outstanding Para-athlete Georgia Biekhoff speaking ahead of the ParaMatildas’ World Cup Final today. Photo: Football Australia.
Georgia Biekhoff is not just an incredible footballer. She is a true inspirational all round athlete. Competing at the London 2012 Paralympics, Biekhoff won a bronze medal in the javelin and also competed in the 4 x 100 metres.
Biekhoff went into today’s inaugural Women’s CP World Cup Final as the competition’s leading scorer with an incredible 13 goals in five games. The Wollongong born star reflected on her experiences at the World Cup ahead of today’s final.
“It’s been really surreal, competing here. Playing against other women who have Cerebral Palsy (CP) like me is like a dream come true – something I’ve been waiting for many years. Seeing the younger girls step up and show what they have got on and off the pitch is amazing too.
“I was not expecting to get all those goals! I think it won’t hit me until I get home. Even watching the playbacks it’s like ‘This is a dream!’ It doesn’t feel real at all.”
The ParaMatildas were only formed as a team just a few months ago, with fundraising launched and the team then gathered in Canberra for a training camp before departure for the finals in Catalonia.
Above: Georgia Biekhoff in action for the ParaMatildas during the World Cup. Photo provided to Impetus by: Football Australia.
“It’s been a really intense eight weeks since the team was put together,” Biekhoff reflected. “The girls have stepped up and it’s been a real big learning curve for us. This is just the beginning. I’m really exciting for the future.”
The ParaMatildas’ opponents in the World Cup Final today were the USA. The two sides met each other on Sunday in the final group game. Going into the game, the nations were the only two undefeated nations in the competition. The attacker revealed how the team approached that match, and the off pitch issues which contributed to their 4-0 defeat.
“We saw the match against the USA in the group games as a bit of a dress rehearsal. We didn’t play our best game and had a couple of injuries, including myself which ruled me out of the second half. Kaitlyn (Smith – goalkeeper) had a few things going on with her asthma too. We were confident that we could play a better game against them in the final and just go out there and kill it.”
Biekhoff is quite open in her assertion that the team’s achievements in the World Cup are something that cannot be put into words.
“Making the final is surreal. That’s the buzzword on this tour. There are no words to describe how we are feeling. I know that people are sending messages to us, which is really lovely. I’m really keen to go back home and see what happens now over the next couple of years.”
Above: ParaMatidas head coach Kelly Stirton speaking of her pride in her team’s achievements. Photo: Football Australia.
ParaMatildas head coach Kelly Stirton looked back on the World Cup campaign with huge pride.
“This has been one of the best experiences of my life – my coaching life. I’ve never been in this sort of space before in terms of a World Cup or international tournament. It’s been amazing, achieving what we have achieved.
“Today is the day when it’s all sinking in a little bit. The emotions have stepped up now. It’s a massive achievement. I couldn’t be prouder of the players and the support staff. The girls have really stepped it up on and off the pitch.
“They have had to overcome some challenges. There have been moments when we’ve sat back and thought about what we have achieved and gone ‘Wow!’ We have achieved one of the biggest goals in Australian (football) history, so I’m pretty happy!”
The ParaMatildas’ opponents in the Final were familiar as the two nations only faced each other just two days ago.
“Playing the USA in the last group game was good for us,” Stirton admitted, “We knew what to expect for the Final. We know what we had to fix. We saw what they can do and the damage they can do. We know their key players now, so to have that dress rehearsal was important.”
Above: The ParaMatildas team. Photosupplied to Impetus by: Football Australia.
Jean-Pierre Thiesset summarizes the France Cup 2022 Final.
Above: Paris St. Germain lift the France Cup after their 8-0 win over Football Féminin Yzeure Allier Auvergne. Photo: PSG Feminines.
Paris Saint-Germain (D1) won 8-0 against Football Féminin Yzeure Allier Auvergne (D2). This final took place in Dijon in front of a crowd of 7 000 spectators, of which 1,900 fans came Yzeure (almost a sixth of their population of 13 000).
Paris SG were relentless and won their third France Cup (2010, 2018, 2022) in a one-sided game. The difference between the two teams was not only an entire division, but budgets at opposite ends of the scale.
Yzeure has the lowest budget in France D2 (€275,000), which represents the annual salary of a single average player in PSG squad, which has a budget around 30 times greater than Yzeure. The second-tier side are also a fully amateur team with all their players working or in college or university but still find a way to train five times during the week and play on weekends while Paris SG are fully professional.
Above: Football Féminin Yzeure Allier Auvergne pictured after the game – it was a heroic cup run for the second-tier side. Photo: La Montagne Terre de Sport.
Furthermore, on the team sheet, Yzeure had only four players as substitutes including their own coach Ophélie Meilleroux. Still, we must note that Sara Däbritz produced a superb performance with three decisive passes from corners (to Marie-Antoinette Katoto 7th minute, to Paulina Dudek 9th minute, to Ashley Lawrence 12th minute), and two goals (13th minute on a pass from Kadidiatou Diani, 72nd minute with a cross-shot from 18 meters).
Teams: PARIS ST. GERMAIN: Voll, Lawrence, De Almeida, Dudek, Karchaoui, Fazer, Geyoro, Däbritz, Diani (Baltimore 63′), Bachmann (Cascarino 63′), Katoto (Huitema 63′).
Stop press news: There is mounting speculation that Sara Däbritz will leave PSG to join Olympique Lyonnais for next season. If it is confirmed. There are also rumours that another PSG star, Marie-Antoinette Katoto could also be on her way to Lyon.
This afternoon, the Lionesses revealed the long list of players from whom their squad of 23 for this summer’s European Championships will be drawn from. We find out who is in and hear the views of head coach Sarina Wiegman(17/5/22).
Above: England headcoach Sarina Wiegman. Photo: FA.
Sarina Wiegman has named a 28-player provisional England squad for the 2022 UEFA Women’s European Championships.
Leah Williamson will lead the Lionesses supported by Millie Bright and Ellen White as vice-captains while Sandy MacIver, Steph Houghton, Fran Kirby, Lucy Staniforth, and Chloe Kelly return to the squad. Also in the initial selection is Jill Scott as she works on her fitness, but Jordan Nobbs has been ruled out for the summer because of a knee injury.
The final 23-player selection is due to be confirmed in mid-June ahead of the Finals starting with England’s fixture against Austria at Old Trafford, Manchester on Wednesday 6 July in exactly 50 days’ time.
Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman said: “The Euros are getting closer, and this is a big step towards the tournament. We have a settled squad and I know we have players in our team that will give everything to make it a summer to remember.
“It is important the players have the chance to get some rest now after a very busy season before we get back to our work. We then have a series of prep camps coming up and it is important we use this time to build an even closer connection on and off the pitch.
Above: The inclusion of Fran Kirby in England’s provisional squad is a huge boost to Lionesses fans. Photo: FA.
“We also look forward to welcoming those who have been working individually and with their clubs on their fitness in the past few weeks. We are hoping to have them back on the pitch when the series of pre-camps start, so we can see where they are at.”
The Lionesses will report to St. George’s Park on Monday 30 May to Wednesday 1 June for an initial preparation period before picking up their work again at the national football centre from Monday 6 June to Friday 10 June.
The squad will then return to the home of England teams on Monday 13 June ahead of the first of three warm-up fixtures on Thursday 16 June when Belgium travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molineux Stadium.
The second warm-up fixture will follow on Friday 24 June when the Lionesses face the Netherlands at Elland Road, the home of Leeds United. The following week will see England spend five days training in Basel including a fixture against Switzerland at the Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich.
UEFA’s deadline to submit a 23-player squad for this summer’s tournament is at 10.59pm (BST) on Sunday 26 June, after which teams are able to make unlimited replacements before their first match in the event of serious injury or illness (including COVID-19 or ‘close contact’ to a positive case).
England’s provisional squad for the 2022 European Championships:
Above: Aston Villa’s outstanding goalkeeper Hannah Hampton earns a well-deserved call-up for England’s provisional Euros squad. Photo: Ben Gilby.
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