Ben Gilby spoke to DLR Waves head coach Graham Kelly about the FAI Women’s National League side who have come a long way and are highly ambitious to grow further.
Above: DLR Waves head coach Graham Kelly. Photo: Oisin Keniry/INPHO.
Graham Kelly has been at DLR Waves for three years and, from the outset, was very clear about what he wanted to achieve.
Upon arrival at the club who are named after the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown county they are based in which is part of the Dublin region, Kelly discussed a five year plan with the club chairman.
“We have big ambitious and in the last three years the club has grown massively from just one senior team to now having a senior team, an U19 Team and an U17 team all playing in the Women’s National League (WNL). We also wanted to ensure we had football for any girl who came to the club who might not be ready just yet to go and play in the WNL so with this in mind we created two new teams in the Metropolitan Girls League at U16 & U18 level so in the space of two full season’s the club has grown from one team to five which is fantastic for all female footballers in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown region and surrounding areas
“Alongside this we are now this year running summer camps and afterschool coaching programmes in local schools to help promote DLR Waves in the community.”
This growth has been all the more impressive with it taking place amidst a global pandemic. “As a club we kept connected with all our player’s and coaching staff through Zoom meetings and home workouts for the players, It was a really tough time for people but in DLR we always say it’s so important that it’s the person comes first before the player.”
With light now at the end of the coronavirus tunnel, Kelly is focused on trying to meet some of the other challenges that DLR Waves face.
Above: DLR Waves’ Carla McManus (right) in action against Wexford Youths this season. Photo: @LOIWomen
“Our five teams are now up and running and all back training and our continued partnership with University College, Dublin (UCD) is growing from strength to strength. As with nearly every club in the country, the biggest challenge is always securing training facilities which again UCD and DLR have been tremendous in helping us with, We are very grateful for their continued support.”
The FAI Women’s National League season is now well underway for 2021 and Graham is keen to ensure the club’s standing in the competition continues to improve.
“The league this season is definitely shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent years. It’s brilliant to see all the clubs continue to develop and every game is really competitive. From our point of view our aim as a team is to try break into the top four. The last two seasons that I have been here we finished sixth so if we can break into that top four this season that would be a big step forward in our development.
“In terms of the FAI WNL itself, it is made up of nine clubs, Peamount United, Shelbourne, Wexford Youths, Galway WFC, Bohemians, Cork City, Athlone Town, Treaty United and ourselves,” explained Graham.”
“All the players that play for the clubs are amateurs and many are still in school, college or full time employment. In the time I have been involved in the league I have seen massive improvements and in fairness to all the clubs they have all worked really hard for this, Also playing in the league are be a number of Republic of Ireland international players which is great for publicity of the league.
“This season the FAI agreed to stream every game live on www.loitv.ie free of charge which again is fantastic promotion of the league and everyone gets to see the real quality playing here in Ireland.
Above: DLR Waves’ Jess Gleeson competes for the ball against Galway’s Rachel Kearns. Photo: John Crothers.
Despite DLR Waves having five teams of their own, they have put in place an exciting relationship with local clubs to develop a player pathway scheme.
“We have nine partner clubs and when each of these clubs have players that finish at U14/15 level they then have an opportunity to come into our pathway through our U16 MGL team. At present we have around 100 players in the club throughout our five teams.”
As with every club, DLR Waves can only function successfully through a magnificent team of volunteers as Graham highlights:
“We have so many people here from the management committee, U16, U17, U18 coaches right up to all the first team staff that do so much work it’s fantastic and I am forever grateful for all their help. But I have to say without doubt our unsung hero is John Hartigan who is our kit man with the first team but is so much more than a kit man, We are very lucky to have John and we really do appreciate everything he does for us.”
We ended our chat by looking at the growth of women’s football more generally in the Republic of Ireland.
“I think the women’s game in Ireland is growing from strength to strength, The introduction of the new U19 league this season is massive progress as we were losing a lot of players from the game when they finished playing U17 as some may just not have been ready to make the step up to 1st team level, This new U19 league and the continued progression of the U17 league is key to player development, As a league overall we can continue to improve and hopefully as the standard keeps improving we can all help to develop more players for Vera Pauw’s senior international squad and we see Republic of Ireland qualify for the next World Cup.”
Don’t miss Impetus’ regular round-up of all the action from the FAI Women’s National League brought to us by Ciarán Duffy of Post to Post Sport. Check out our specific Irish Women’s Football section at https://impetus885775742.wordpress.com/irish-football/ for all the details!
Ciarán Duffy of Post to Post Sport brings us bang up to date with all the goings on in the FAI WNL over the past month.
Peamount United
Above: Eleanor Ryan-Doyle – scorer of six goals in Peamount United’s last three games. Photo: Irish Examiner.
Peamount maintained their 100% record over the last three rounds to remain top of the league. They beat Cork City in round seven. Eleanor Ryan-Doyle opened the scoring and put Peas back in front after Cork had equalised. Aine O’Gorman scored late on to secure the victory.
In round eight, Peamount became the first team to beat DLR Waves at the UCD Bowl. Eleanor Ryan-Doyle scored twice, a diving header in the first half, and a penalty in the 2nd half.
In round nine Peamount beat Galway 4-0. Ryan-Doyle scored 2 more goas, with Walsh and Doherty adding goals.
Shelbourne
Shels remain Peamounts closest challengers. In round seven they beat Galway 5-0, with goals from Ziu, Finn, Grant, Noonan, and Murray. Shels went to Dalymount Park the following week, when Whelan scored the winner to beat Bohemians. Shelbourne played out a 0-0 draw with Wexford Youths in round nine.
Wexford Youths
Wexford were victorious in round seven with a 7-1 win over Bohemians. Two goals from captain Kylie Murphy opened the scoring, with goals from Frawley, and OG, and Flood making it 5-0. Kelly added two late goals. Youths were idle in round eight and played out a 0-0 draw against Shels in round nine.
DLR Waves
Above: Carla McManus in good goal scoring form for DLR Waves in recent weeks. Photo: Final Whistle.
DLR continue to have one of their best ever seasons. Carla McManus scored the winner in a 1-0 win at Athlone in round seven. They were beaten 2-0 by Peamount United in round eight before recording their biggest win of the season the following week by beating Treaty United 5-0 in Limerick, with goals from Maher, Malone, Carroll, and two goals from McManus.
We have a dedicated page for all our DLR Waves content, including reaction to their home games, match reports, fixture information, and more. You can view it on PostToPost.Sport.Blog here.
Bohemians
Bohs were beaten in rounds seven and eight by two of the top three. They lost 7-1 to Wexford, with Burke getting their goal. They were beaten 0-1 at home to Shels the following week. Then, last time out, they earned a thrilling 3-2 win away to Athlone. Burke scored their equaliser and put them in front. Their winner came from Darby.
Galway
Galway were beaten 5-0 by Shelbourne in round seven. Their manager Billy Clery stepped down early in the following week due to family commitments. They were narrowly beaten 4-3 under interim manager Maz Sweeney, with their goals coming from Callanan and two from McKey. Stephen Lally was appointed new head coach the following week. His first game in charge ended with a 4-0 defeat by Peamount.
Athlone Town
Above: Athlone Town’s Muieanne Devaney pictured in action for the Republic of Ireland, scored two goals against Galway. Photo: Soundcloud.
After a 0-1 loss at home to DLR Waves, Athlone beat Galway 4-3 with goals from Keogh, two from Devaney, and a goal from Brennan. They were victorious despite going down to 10 with Haran sent off. They lost out 2-3 to Bohs, with their goals coming from Keogh and Molloy.
Treaty United
Treaty were idle in round seven. They then got their first win of the season a vital one in a battle of the teams at the bottom – beating Cork City 3-2 with two goals from Rebecca Horgan and a goal from Keenan. Treaty were beaten 5-0 by DLR Waves in round nine.
Cork City
Cork remain without a win after phase one has been completed. They lost to Peamount United 3-1, despite Mangan’s goal. They then lost out narrowly to Treaty 3-2 in the big clash of the bottom sides with McKevitt and Cassin getting their goals. They were idle for round nine.
Ahead of their forthcoming friendlies in Denmark and Sweden, Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson has announced a 25 player squad which has seen key players return and an eagerly awaited call up for a W-League starlet. Ben Gilby reviews the selection and provides Gustavsson’s opinions on the selection.
Above: Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson has announced a much changed squad. Photoprovided by: Football Australia
Westfield Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson has selected 25 players to take part in the team’s June international friendlies against Denmark and Sweden.
The fixtures against the Scandinavian nations form part of the Australia’s preparations ahead of July’s women’s football tournament with Gustavsson calling in a host of familiar names and fresh faces.
With over 400 matches of international experience combined, Australia vice-captain Steph Catley and centurion Elise Kellond-Knight spearhead a returning quintet of players which also consists of Ellie Carpenter, Kyah Simon and Tameka Yallop – who assisted the team in qualifying for their fourth Games.
Above: Kyra Cooney-Cross receives a call up after the 19 year-old had a sensational season in the W-League. Photo provided by: Football Australia.
Westfield Young Matildas contingent Kyra Cooney-Cross, Courtney Nevin and Charli Grant all have the opportunity to join the 209 women who have represented Australia on the international stage. On the other end of the spectrum, veteran defender Caitlin Cooper earns another shot at a major tournament, while midfielders Amy Harrison and Alex Chidiac have been rewarded for strong domestic seasons in the Netherlands and in the Westfield W-League.
Of the players who took part in April’s friendlies against Germany and the Netherlands, Beattie Goad retains her place after putting in two hugely promising performances. On the downside, Dylan Holmes is unlucky to miss out having injected a lot of energy off the bench against the Dutch last time out. Those hoping for a recall for Matildas legend Lisa De Vanna are also disappointed. Also missing out is Angie Beard who had a exceptional season for W-League champions Melbourne Victory.
Following an extensive process of evaluation, Gustavsson is keen to begin working with the squad – half of whom he will meet for the first later in the month.
“I believe this group of players bring together some excellent qualities and I am really looking forward to seeing how they can come together,” said Gustavsson.
Above: Beattie Goad is back after impressing in the April friendlies. Photo provided by: Football Australia.
“We spoke about the April camp giving us questions and answers and, over the past couple of weeks, Mel Andreatta and I have been working with the technical staff to find the players that we believe can address certain key questions. We have analysed the squad and identified the areas that require strengthening and players that have weapons to enhance the national team.”
With 50 days until Australia’s opening tournament match against New Zealand, Gustavsson emphasised the importance of team balance, building chemistry and maximising every moment until the July kick off.
“When it comes to building the roster, we need to ensure we have balance across the squad. We need different player types; we need depth in different positions and need some players that provide flexibility between the lines.”
“All of this means that difficult decisions had to be made, particularly in positions like the forwardline where there is an abundance of talent but limited positions. Unfortunately, that has meant some top quality players have not been selected this time around, however, the door is still open as football is unpredictable and we always need to be adaptable.”
“The focus of this camp will be on preparing ourselves for the opponents we will meet in 50 days. It is why we have chosen tough opponents in Denmark and Sweden. We need to observe, in a challenging environment, if the players called up can assist us in executing game plans that can be successful in July.”
“Finally, we will have a heavy emphasis on building chemistry on and off the pitch. Several of the players coming in have built strong relationships over years of close connection and we want to re-establish that rapport while cultivating new connections within the team,” he concluded.
Above: Charli Grant – a great season at Adelaide United was rewarded with a move to top Swedish side Rosengård and now a call up to the Matildas side. Photo provided by: Football Australia.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD:
Mackenzie ARNOLD
Goalkeeper
West Ham United (ENG)
25 (0)
Laura BROCK
Defender
En Avant de Guingamp (FRA)
62 (2)
Ellie CARPENTER
Defender
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
41 (1)
Steph CATLEY
Defender
Arsenal FC (ENG)
82 (3)
Alex CHIDIAC
Midfielder
Uncontracted
17 (1)
Kyra COONEY-CROSS
Midfielder
Blacktown Spartans (AUS)
0 (0)
Caitlin COOPER
Defender
Illawarra Stingrays (AUS)
10 (2)
Caitlin FOORD
Forward
Arsenal FC (ENG)
85 (20)
Mary FOWLER
Forward
Montpellier (FRA)
6 (0)
Emily GIELNIK
Forward
Vittsjo GIK (SWE)
39 (10)
Beattie GOAD
Defender
SV Meppen (GER)
2 (0)
Charli GRANT
Defender
FC Rosengård (SWE)
0 (0)
Amy HARRISON
Midfielder
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
13 (0)
Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT
Midfielder
Hammarby (SWE)
113 (2)
Alanna KENNEDY
Defender
Unattached
89 (7)
Sam KERR
Forward
Chelsea FC (ENG)
90 (42)
Aivi LUIK
Midfielder
Sevilla (ESP)
27 (0)
Teagan MICAH
Goalkeeper
IL Sandviken (ISL)
0 (0)
Courtney NEVIN
Defender
Blacktown Spartans
0 (0)
Clare POLKINGHORNE
Defender
Vittsjo GIK (SWE)
126 (10)
Hayley RASO
Forward
Everton FC (ENG)
48 (6)
Kyah SIMON
Forward
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
92 (26)
Emily VAN EGMOND
Midfielder
Unattached
99 (23)
Lydia WILLIAMS
Goalkeeper
Arsenal FC (ENG)
89 (0)
Tameka YALLOP
Midfielder
West Ham United (ENG)
87 (10)
Ben Gilby writes for Beyond90, Australia’s leading independent women’s football platform. Visit https://beyond90.com.au/
Impetus’ coverage of Australian Women’s Football is supported by The Chicken Salt Co. They are offering every Impetus reader 5% off all orders of Chicken Salt from their website. Go to https://www.chickensalt.co.uk/?mate=impetus and place your order – 5% will automatically be taken off of the cost. The coupon code is impetus.
Above: AFC Portchester (orange and black) take on Basingstoke Town. Photo: Lewis Millington.
The penultimate game of AFC Portchester Ladies season in the Hampshire County League against Basingstoke Town Women ended in 2-2 draw on Sunday in the scorching Hampshire sun.
The result came of the back of a 12-0 defeat at the hands of a professional Portsmouth Women side – which while providing an invaluable experience for many of Portchy’s young breakthrough stars this year, it would also have been motivation to get back track with an attempt to maintain their 100% record in the league.
However, Basingstoke are no mugs – with Portchy only managing a 1-0 win at the Wicor Rec for the season opener – and they proved that they are good side on Sunday.
Winklebury, a football complex owned by the Hampshire FA and also the home of Basingstoke Town since the sad demise of their previous home, The Camrose, was the venue for the game. I do hope the recent fans campaign, which would see them return to their spiritual home is successful as it a sorry state to see what is a classic non-league ground in such disrepair.
Winklebury is not a bad home for Basingstoke, it has a grandstand, a seated terrace behind one goal and a covered stand behind the other – a modern ground for the ladies to play at. Albeit a little soulless and akin to a School 4G, with the lines of over sports marked out on the fake turf. Nevertheless many clubs at this level would be lucky to have a facility like it.
Above: Winklebury, home of Basingstoke Town. Photo: Lewis Millington.
Portchy arrived at Winklebury with only 12 available players – several key names were nursing knocks from the big game against Pompey in the week. With the league wrapped up and missing stars, this did hand opportunities to the Portchy youth cohort who have stepped up brilliantly this season. The ‘Class of Covid’ quartet of Ella Wilson, Bella Longyear, Ava Colbourne and keeper Sarah Kelsall all started the match. All players are under 18 and have made a real impression on the first team this season – with Wilson being the breakout star. No doubt playing as a group from the start would have been of great value to them going into next season.
The game started fairly evenly with both teams sharing possession with attacks breaking down in the final third, with arguably Basingstoke having the better of the opening 10 minutes. However it was Portchy’s young talisman, Ella Wilson, who opened the scoring after nine minutes. Wilson, using her trademark pace and dribbling ability that has caused havoc for many defences in the league this season, took on the Basingstoke centre back centrally, knocking it past her and getting inside her and away on goal inside the box. This left the goalkeeper to beat, where Wilson coolly slotted the ball past the oncoming keeper to make the net ripple.
With the lead secured, Portchy grew in confidence and began a period of dominance. Young centre back Ava Colbourne having the best chance, firing a strong header over from a corner.
However, Basingstoke were not going to let this game drift away and give Portchy a processional afternoon. They drew level when Beth Lowe walloped in a long range strike on 33 minutes.
Following this, water breaks came and went, possession traded and half chances created – but neither team could edge a lead in a tightly contested affair.
Finally a second goal came for Portchy following some trickery on the inside of box by Ella Wilson. Trying to beat the defender, Wilson was brought down in a scramble, leading to the official pointing to the spot. Experienced striker Laura Streeter stepped up to take the spot kick. After missing her last penalty strike against Liphook, Streeter made no mistake this time by drilling the ball past the diving keeper to give Portchy a 2-1 lead.
Above: Basingstoke Town became the first team to prevent AFC Portchester from winning in the Hampshire County League this season. Photo: Lewis Millington.
Celebrations were not to last long though as Portchy had their hearts in their mouths two minutes later when Basingstoke slapped in a 20 yard strike on 77 minutes. However, the linesman had flagged for offside.
Nevertheless, seeing the ball hit the net galvanised Basingstoke. They came back at Portchy before scoring for real around the 85th minute mark to spark jubilations amongst the players and their touch line.
The goal came on the break as Basingstoke played the ball down the right to find Carla Mullan in the box off centre of the goal. However, this and the onrushing Sarah Kelsall did not deter the Town player, with a deft dink over the keeper bringing the game back level.
Following this, Portchester pushed for a winner and had a few opportunities. The best falling to left back Anna Thompson playing makeshift forward where the ball ricocheted to her in the box but she blazed over.
The final whistle blew and with it went Portchy’s 100% record. However, the youthful side did themselves proud in the heat and off the back of chasing the ball around against Pompey Women. Basingstoke showed themselves to be a strong side and were good value for the point.
Portchy Ladies will conclude their season away at AFC Varsity next Sunday in a rescheduled match looking to finish the league season unbeaten.
Above: The PSG team line-up before the start of a match which virtually assured they will end Olympique Lyonnais’ dominance at the top of D1 Arkema. Photo: @PSG_Feminines
Olympique Lyonnais’ domination of D1 Arkema is over after Paris St. Germain earned a point to ensure that they will win the championship for the first time in their history by beating mid table Dijon this coming Friday night.
Lyon had to win to realistically retain their D1 title for a fifteenth successive year, but the 0-0 score line against their closest rivals means that they now need a miracle for that to happen.
PSG went into the match having won their last eighteen consecutive games in Arkema D1. Their last defeat came back in November 2019. They also had the confidence in having defeated Lyon in both the earlier league encounter and the Champions League Quarter-Finals which ended OL’s run of five consecutive titles in Europe’s top competition.
Whilst Lyon’s season has not hit the heights that they have become accustomed to, they went into the game on the back of 51 games unbeaten at home in D1.
Both sides were missing a key player at kick-off as Eugenie Le Sommer failed a late fitness test for OL with Marie-Antoinette Katoto missing with a thigh injury for PSG. In the positive side of the ledger for the Parisians, Kadidatou Diani was back for the first time since April after injury.
Above: OL keeper Sarah Bouhaddi denies Kadidatou Diani. Photo: Damien LG via @OLfeminin
The first opportunity went PSG’s way after five minutes when Sandy Baltimore got free down the left and put in a dangerous cross which Sarah Bouhaddi got a palm to but could not prevent the ball falling for Diani, but the OL keeper recovered well to get back in time to grab the resulting shot.
For the vast majority of the first half, PSG were more than happy for Lyon to have the ball and attack. It appeared to be the right move as it allowed the Parisians to ensure they had more than enough personnel to largely nullify the impact of Ellie Carpenter, Delphine Cascarino and Sakina Karchaoui. Therefore, Christiane Endler, linked with a move to OL in the summer, had very little to do in the PSG goal.
Both sides were also keen to establish themselves as the physically dominant team. One such example came when Kadeisha Buchanan put in a thumping tackle which saw Baltimore fall awkwardly on her side, taking down her head coach Olivier Echouafni in the process.
Shortly afterwards, Carpenter saved her team in a defensive position by sprinting in to fill a gap and charge down a shot from former Chelsea star Ramona Bachmann.
Above: Ellie Carpenter made an important block on Ramona Bachmann’s shot. Photo: Damien LG via @OLfeminin
All of PSG’s chances were coming down the left with Baltimore using her pace to break through at will and fire dangerous crosses into the box. Despite her ability to push forward, Lyon’s defence, marshalled as ever by the talismanic Wendy Renard were able to mop up before Bachmann, Bruun and Dabritz could take advantage.
With eight minutes to the break, Bouhaddi denied Signe Bruun from close range as Paris broke from the left of centre once more.
Karchaoui had a great chance shortly afterwards when, from a break through the middle, the ball ended in her path, but her fierce effort was just over the bar as it remained goalless at the break.
Just after the hour mark, Bruun missed a golden opportunity for PSG. The Dane found herself in front of goal with no-one rushing towards her to close her down, but she put her shot agonisingly wide of the left hand post when it anything on target would likely have resulted in a goal.
The vast majority of the offensive pressure was now with the Parisians who knew that a victory would clinch the D1 title with a week to spare.
Ultimately, despite the plethora of talented attacking players on the pitch, it was the defenders who were on top.
Above: Sandy Baltimore, who had a magnificent game down the left for Paris St. Germain. Photo: @PSG_Feminines
Olympique Lyonnais’ inability to win a game that they absolutely had to serves to emphasise the changing of the guard in French women’s football this season. In the past, somehow, they would have found a way to earn the result they needed.
PSG’s ability to nullify Lyon’s attacking threats was the key to the victory. In doing so, they will end up being the first team other than Olympique Lyonnais to win the top tier of French women’s football since FCF Juvisy’s title success in 2006.
Perth Glory has further strengthened its squad for the Westfield W-League 2021/22 season with over five months to go until the campaign kicks off with three more key signings over the past week.
Versatile forward Demi Koulizakis has arrived from Canberra United along with 18 year-old Young Matilda star Alana Jancevski from Melbourne Victory plus defender Deborah-Ann De La Harpe who was an impressive in a difficult 2020/21 campaign for the West Australians.
Above: Perth Glory unveil Demi Koulizakis as a key part of their squad for 2021/22. Photo: Perth Glory FC.
Koulizakis’ arrival is another eye catching one. The 23-year-old has made more than 20 W-League appearances for Western Sydney Wanderers and most recently, Canberra United, with whom she spent the 2020/21 campaign.
She also boasts extensive experience of playing overseas having represented Texas Tech University in the US for four years.
After enjoying her second taste of the W-League last term, Koulizakis is keen to become a part of what she believes is an exciting project taking shape here in the West.
“I’ve known Alex Epakis (Glory Head Coach) for many years now, so I know how he is as a coach,” she said.
“I like his aspirations for the team and for the club which align with my own goals as a player and he gets the best out of me, so those were the main reasons for me wanting to sign.
“Alex’s goals are to get into the Semi-Finals and win a Championship and I would love to play a big part in that and potentially next season be in the Finals.”
Epakis, meanwhile, believes that Koulizakis has all the qualities required to be a major asset for Glory in the upcoming campaign.
“Demi is a fantastic addition to the team and the club,” he said.
“She is relatively young, but comes with vast experience across both the W-League and US College system with Texas Tech.
“Having made her W-League debut at 16, Demi has gone on to have success both locally and in America, enjoyed a strong season last year at her previous W-League club and comes to Perth looking to really establish herself as core player within our attack.
“She is a very strong and tenacious player with and without the ball and has a great ability to build up and play with her back to goal, plus strong finishing skills.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Demi in the past and I know first-hand the determination and commitment she brings to a playing group.
“She is ambitious and I am glad she has decided that Perth Glory is the best place for her to continue to grow as a player.”
Glory CEO Tony Pignata is delighted to see another high-quality new recruit coming on board.
“Demi has a lot of potential and a great working relationship with Alex and I believe we’ll see her take her game to new heights in purple next season,” he said.
“She is another key signing and I’m sure the excitement is building among our Members and fans as our 2021/22 squad continues to take shape.”
Above: Alana Jancevski’s arrival is an exciting one for Perth Glory fans. Photo: Perth Glory FC.
The arrival of Alana Jancevski from Melbourne Victory will mean that yet another of Australia’s youngest stars will be wearing the purple and orange next season.
Widely regarded as one of the brightest young prospects in the country, the 18-year-old is a Young Matildas representative and has come in on a long term deal.
Having opted to make the move to the West ahead of the Westfield W-League 2021/22 Season, Jancevski cannot wait to get started.
“Since I was a youngster, I’ve always wanted to play in the W-League,” she said, “and Alex Epakis (Glory Head Coach) has been amazing in helping me to get that opportunity.
“I’m excited for the challenge and to be joining an excellent group of girls who work really hard and want to be successful.
“Being a part of that will be a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to showing everybody how good a team we can be.
“I know that I’m going to grow as a footballer and as a person.”
Epakis, meanwhile, is confident that Jancevski has what it takes to make a major impact in purple in the coming years.
“I am really excited to have Alana at Perth Glory for the next few seasons,” he said.
“She is a very exciting player who has a lot of attacking qualities and will certainly help add some firepower to our attacking play.
“I believe Alana has the quality and confidence to really excel as a player and help the team reach new heights.
“She is a hungry and determined character with a fantastic level of confidence and professionalism about her and I am proud she has chosen Perth Glory as the best club for her development and growth.”
Glory CEO Tony Pignata believes that securing Jancevski’s services reinforces Glory’s growing reputation as the destination club for young Australian talent.
“Alex showed last season that he is committed to giving young players an opportunity at W-League level,” he said, “and Alana is another rising star that I’m sure our Members and fans will be hugely excited about seeing in Glory colours next year.
“She has huge potential and we’re confident that she will fulfil that with us in the coming seasons.”
Above: Deborah-Ann De La Harpe put in a number of excellent performances in a tough season for Perth last season, so her re-signing is a major plus. Photo: Perth Glory FC
The final part of the signing trio this week saw the news that Deborah-Anne de la Harpe has re-signed with the club for the.
The 20-year-old enjoyed an impressive debut W-League campaign last year, starting every one of Glory’s 12 games and playing a total of 1026 minutes.
Her strong defensive work, turn of pace and willingness to push forward in wide areas made her an instant hit with the club’s fans and the Junior and Young Matildas representative is relishing the prospect of rekindling that relationship next term.
“There was a core group that would come out and support us every home game,” she said.
“Obviously it was a difficult season for us with COVID and things like that, but having their support, especially in my first season, was just incredible.
“I could not have pictured a better place or team to have been a part of for my first W-League season.
“It’s such a great environment, the coaching staff are amazing and I’m elated to be back again.
“I’m just so grateful that I get to be a part of this story and I think we have something really special in this team, especially with the core group of younger players coming through.
“I’m excited about what we can achieve both in the long-term future and in the season ahead.”
Glory Head Coach Alex Epakis is confident that de la Harpe can build on her breakout performances in 2020/21 and be a key part of the squad once again.
“Having DA re-sign on again for next season is fantastic,” he said.
“She was given an opportunity last season and I believe she grew so much and showed all her football pedigree and why she has been an important player for the Australia youth teams in recent years.
“She has a fantastic attitude and mind-set towards improving and doing the best she can, has really fallen in love with the club and the city and I know first-hand that she is committed to helping achieve success with the team.
“For a young player, DA shows so much confidence and I am really looking forward to seeing her develop and find another level in her football next season.
“Her versatility and ability to play in multiple positions is a huge asset and she will be a valued player within the team next season.”
Glory CEO Tony Pignata, meanwhile, is pleased to see another quality performer being added to the club’s W-League squad.
“DA was a standout last year and retaining her services for the upcoming season is another indication of the positive direction we’re moving in,” he said.
“Alex has been extremely proactive and nimble in his efforts to mould a young, dynamic and exciting squad and de la Harpe is a player who certainly ticks all those boxes and more.”
Ben Gilby writes for Beyond90, Australia’s leading independent women’s football platform. Visit https://beyond90.com.au/
@DandalBs brings us his weekly wrap of all the goings on in the Swedish women’s football scene with news from the national team camp, round six of the Damallsvenskan and Elitettan plus the latest transfer speculation.
NATIONAL TEAM NEWS:
Norwegian coronavirus travel restrictions might prevent the Sweden v Norway friendly taking place on 10th June. It will have no impact on Sweden’s home game with Australia.
Above: Nilla Fischer, who has just ruled herself out of Sweden’s Olympic squad. Photo: World Football.
Sweden and Linköping’s veteran defender Nilla Fischer has announced that she is not available to be selected for her country’s Olympic squad. She and her wife are expecting their second child in July. “It would have been fun to play at another Olympic Games, but this is more important” said Fischer.
She added that this does not necessarily mean that she has played her last national team match. Fischer’s absence from the Olympic team means that both she and Linda Sembrant, who were key central defensive players for Sweden in the 2019 World Cup will be missing from the squad for Tokyo.
DAMALLSVENSKAN:
Hammarby took the honours in the Stockholm derby with a 3-2 win over Djurgården. Madelen Janogy gave Hammarby the lead on seven minutes, but less than a minute later, Elizabeth Addo grabbed a dramatic equaliser. Just after the break, Emma Jansson put Hammarby back ahead but Hayley Dowd levelled matters. With eight minutes left, Jansson struck her second to seal the points.
Above: BK Häcken celebrate a goal in their 3-0 win over Eskilstuna United. Photo: Fotbollskanalen.
BK Häcken repeated their recent victory over Eskilstuna United with a 3-0 success in the Damallsvenskan. Jojanna Rytting Kaneryd’s strike and two own goals were the difference. If the defeat was not bad enough for Eskilstuna, their key midfielder Halimatu Ayinde was stretchered off the pitch 10 minutes into the 2nd half with worrying looking knee injury. Häcken also suffered injury concerns when their international forward Pauline Hammarlund suffered a knee injury which has now been confirmed as an ACL tear.
Örebro demolished Växjö 4-1 and the game was realistically all over just after the half hour mark as goals from Jenna Hellstrom and Karin Lundin (2) set the home side on their way. Emmi Alanen’s effort with twenty five minutes to go was wiped out when Dessislava Dupuy grabbed Örebro’s fourth.
AIK won another unexpected point when they gained an impressive 1-1 draw at Kristianstad Amanda Edgren put the home side ahead with Nora Rönnfors levelling within three minutes. Good goalkeeping from Milla-Maj Majasaari played a big role for AIK in earning a point.
Above: Rosengård celebrate Caroline Seger’s strike which won the game against Piteå. Photo: Fotbollskanalen,
Rosengård recorded their sixth win in six games this season with a 1-0 success over Piteå. Caroline Seger scored the only goal. Good goalkeeping from Piteå’s Guro Pettersen, including saving a penalty-kick, kept the score down. Rosengård are now five points clear of second placed BK Häcken.
Finally, Linköping drew 0-0 with Vittsjö.
Table from: Svensk Fotboll.
Round Seven Fixtures:
Växjö v Linköping
AIK v Rosengård
Hammarby v Kristianstads
Eskilstuna United v Vittsjö
Piteå v Djurgården
Örebro v BK Häcken
ELITETTAN
Photo: Henne-Riikka Honkanen, who scored two goals for Umeå in their stunning 4-0 win over IK Uppsala in the top of the table Elitettan clash. Photo: Bildbyrån
The battle of the top two produced a quite incredible outcome. Second placed Umeå IK pulled off a stunning 4-0 thrashing of IK Uppsala. Umeå were on the front foot from the very start and Pink Herreros Ossorio put them ahead after just three minutes. The home side’s dominance was further asserted when Henna-Riikka Honkanen made it 2-0 20 minutes later. Just after the break, the Finnish striker grabbed her second with Olivia Holm completing the rout with 23 minutes to go. The result puts Umeå top of the table on goal difference. Equally delighted by the result were Älvsjö AIK FF whose 1-0 win over IFK Norrköping meant that they are now only a single point behind the top two. The side from just outside Stockholm, who only avoided relegation from the Elitettan on the final day of last season have made a glorious start. Victoria Heikfolk scored their winner directly from a corner with 69 minutes played. Near the bottom, Borgeby FK put in a great effort in their game with Alingsås FC United in their bid to win their first match of the season. Tilde Olsson gave Borgeby an early lead before three rapid fire goals in six minutes from Olivia Sultan, Alma Öberg and Felicia De Feo put Alingsås in the driving seat. Taylor Townsend and another from Sultan made it 5-1 – but then Borgeby mounted a comeback as Rebecka Persson and Nova Karlsson both scored in less than sixty seconds of each other. With a quarter of an hour left, things got dramatic before Alingsås ended up 5-3 winners.
Round Six Results: Mallbackens IF Sunne 0-0 IFK Kalmar, Umeå IK 4-0 IK Uppsala, Älvsjö AIK FF 1-0 IFK Norrköping, Borgeby FK 3-5 Alingsås FC United, IF Brommapojkarna 1-1 Lidköpings FK, Jitex Mölndal 2-1 Bollstanäs SK, Morön BK 3-0 Sundsvalls DFF.
Round Seven Fixtures: Lidköpings FK v Jitex Mölndal, Mallbackens IF Sunne v Umeå IK, Sundsvalls DFF v Älvsjö AIK FF, Bollstanäs SK v Alingsås FC United, IK Uppsala v Borgeby FK, IFK Norrköping v Morön BK, IFK Kalmar v IF Brommapojkarna.
Table from: Svensk Fotboll
NEWS ROUND-UP:
Above: Kosovare Asllani has been liked with a move to Juventus this week. Photo: Martin Rose/Getty Images.
There are unconfirmed reports that Kosovare Asllani’s agent Arash Bayat is in Italy to negotiate personal terms with Juventus. Bayat comments that “it’s yet too early to make any comments.”
A couple of weeks ago we reported that Barclays FA Womens’ Super League side Everton had been linked with Rosengård’s young national team players Hanna Bennison, Nathalie Björn and Anna Anvegård. There are now unconfirmed reports that Manchester City are also showing interest in some of the trio. Rosengård boss Therese Sjögran doesn’t want to comment as long as there are no bids. It could be noted that none of these players have made more than minor contributions to Rosengård’s successful season opening. Björn and Anvegård, just coming back from injury, have only had a few minutes of action and Bennison is a regular second half substitute.
In the latest of our #DubWrap series reviewing the 2020/21 Westfield W-League season, Ben Gilby chatted to Brisbane Roar head coach Jake Goodship about his footballing career and how he views the club’s W-League season.
Above: Brisbane Roar head coach Jake Goodship who was largely happy with his team’s season. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.
It’s been a long journey for Jake Goodship from Hertfordshire, part of London’s commuter belt, to Queensland via New Jersey.
He takes up the story. “My football story began when I was a 14 year old who was picked up by Stevenage FC (who play in the fourth tier of the English game) and I went on to play for their youth team and system under Robbie O’Keefe and Darren Sarll. This is when I found a passion for love for coaching. I was very lucky and fortunate to have been under some top, top coaches during this period such as Dave Reddington, David Bass and Malcolm Allen.
“Looking back, being within this environment has helped shaped and assist me with the style, beliefs and values that I hold as a coach today. When I was 18 and unfortunately released by Stevenage, I passed my UEFA B licence and went on to coach at the club academy program prior to moving overseas in New Jersey, working for a private academy. Although it was not a great experience, I’m forever grateful as it was here that I learned the hard yards and ability to work back to back sessions daily. Within the six months or so must have delivered 1,000 sessions!”
“Then, in 2009 I made the decision to come to Australia and Brisbane specifically to take up a role at Brisbane City FC. While at this prestigious club I held roles from head youth coach to academy director and responsibilities from overseeing club staff and player development and recruitment. As part of this I played a big role within the establishment of their successful academy program.”
“I was lucky enough to be brought to Brisbane Roar by Drew Sherman, the then technical director at the club. He is someone who I highly regard as one of the best coach leaders/academy directors around. At first I turned down the opportunity but after a number of discussions with Drew and other staff at the time it was an opportunity too good to turn down both a professional sense and due to the fact that a change from my previous club was well due. Having the chance to be surrounded by football personal such as Craig Moore, John Aloisi, Jason Kearton, Ross Aloisi and Danny Tiatto was a fantastic experience within my first couple of seasons. Then more lately with Robbie Fowler and Tony Grant, another two top coaches who set good positive foundations are the club.”
“I have now been at Brisbane Roar for four seasons – two of which has been with the club’s W-League side as head coach and two with the club’s Youth team (NYL/NPL) and there was also one year within the club’s academy program. I am now currently studying for my FFA / AFC Pro licence Diploma.”
Jake then tried to compare his experiences living and coaching in England with those in Brisbane.
“Here in Australia there is a huge difference compared to what things were like back in the UK. Simply due to cultural differences. This country is like paradise with the weather and environment. It’s safe for families and children. Whereas England’s love for the game of football speaks for itself, it’s within day to day life – such as all the coverage in newspapers, social media and the main news.”
Above: Jake on the touchline during Brisbane Roar’s semi-final against Melbourne Victory. Photo: @JakeGoodship.
“I believe this plays a huge role within the lack of culture here, thus leading to perception of football not being seen as a professional career as such and more so of a hobby. The exciting prospect of football in Australia for future years is endless. There is huge potential to become a powerhouse but only if resources and facilities are backed by media platforms on a daily basis to assist with the public perception.”
We then turned our attention to this season, starting with the impact of coronavirus on the preparations for the campaign.
“Covid was a nightmare in terms of planning,” Jake admitted. Everything was unknown and needed the ability to deal with setbacks, changes at the last minute and having the ability to be positive with circumstances and decisions being sprung on us at any time. We had players having to quarantine upon arrival, having to be Covid tested after each away fixture as well as self-isolating and needing to get exemptions to train. The group were great in dealing with this and any last minute changes which helped build trust and togetherness in a way. We were lucky and blessed to have chance to play out the season with crowds.”
Roar started the season with four consecutive draws, which was an incredible statistic.
“Yeah, our first four games we actually played really well,” said Jake. We created a number of chances and our number of progressive passes were much higher than each opposition and the general possession stats were in our favour.”
“However, we lacked the clinical edge to finish off chances and were not ruthless enough. I suppose having the confidence to continue to play our way and create chances was a good outlook, however with the internal goals and targets we had, we were frustrated with a points tally of four from the first 12.”
“Looking back we built a really good performance platform from these games and went on a good run of unbeaten games. This, if anything helped our group move forward as it was then fine tuning the small details within our training sessions,” Jake admitted.
I asked Jake for his overarching view on his team’s regular season performances. “I was very happy with the regular season apart from two games – Newcastle Jets and Canberra United away.”
Above: Jamilla Rankin (right) a youngster who had a fantastic season for the Roar. Photo: Brisbane Roar.
“However off the top of my head we led the stats in shots/chances created plus possession dominated, corners won, progressive passes and balls won in front third, so I think the stats tell a great story.”
“We over achieved in my opinion, as generally speaking on average the club is the third most successful in the W-League’s short history so second or first would be seen as a positive season.”
We then spoke more specifically about some of the Roar’s stand out players for the campaign, starting with youngsters Jamilla Rankin and Wini Heatley.
“They both had positive seasons, however as happens with young players, they perhaps lacked consistency at times. Both suit full back roles with us very well. They are very aggressive in and out of possession, they’re technically efficient and both are top, top athletes.”
“I would like to think they both have a good future ahead if they continue to work hard and stay grounded. Another young player, Leticia McKenna also fitted in well this season in my opinion and is another young player with exciting future ahead of her.”
Emily Gielnik came back to Brisbane and produced a series of superb performances. “Em is the ultimate professional in terms of off field self-management and her mannerisms within our training and game environment. She’s forever wanting to improve and beat all the goals she is set. Her ambitious mind-set is very infectious. I’m grateful to Em for the opportunity to have her part of our squad as we were consistency pushing boundaries and finding ways to improve our processes both as a group and individuals and ultimately we become better coaches and players as a result of this.”
We then moved on to discuss the impact of Emily Gielnik and Clare Polkinghorne moving to Sweden before the Finals campaign.
“I think any team losing Polks and Em would feel the impact. However we were confident the in group we had and also made a good signing in terms of bringing in Sunny Franco to lift our environment from a social aspect as well as overall.”
Above: Emily Gielnik – a great season in front of goal. Photo: Brisbane Roar.
“I think looking back at the semi against a good Melbourne Victory group who kept seven or eight clean sheets this season, we scored two goals on the night, there were two goals questionably called offside, one ghost goal… so in theory scoring five against them without both players speaks volumes. Unfortunately the officials in my opinion didn’t help but that’s no excuse. Victory were very good.”
“I was happy with our performance and our ability to deal with setbacks, as mentioned above, scoring two with two ruled out and one not given, that’s an incredible feat. Plus we conceded two in second half stoppage time, so it blew out. But our players did very well to deal with setbacks given to us and showed a good bounce back ability to keep going. We will be better for the experience of that game and look to build upon it for future seasons.”
I asked Jake if there is anything the W-League could do to try and ensure clubs were not losing key players at the sharp end of the season going forward.
“I think the transfer windows affected W-League this season due to its delayed start. But moving forward, if the W-League were to be a longer season, then something needs to change. I think selling players is a good business model, like we have done past two seasons, however clubs need to view players as assets and provide longer contracts to ensure both player and club security. The W-League could be one of the top five women’s leagues in the world, but decision makers need to be bold and proactive. I would like to see more teams and a full home and away season implemented ASAP.”
We now looked ahead to the future of the club, starting with potential recruitment.
“Our recruitment process is forever on going. We’re always looking at players and using our formula to compare and see which player best fits in to our system. Rather than simply signing a player because she’s good, they need to fit in to our culture, environment and share same values and vision in how we approach the game.”
As well as recruitment, Brisbane will be very keen to retain their exciting youngsters. This is something Jake doesn’t see any problem with achieving.
“We are very confident in retaining our young players as well as perhaps enticing a few more to come across. We need to have that confidence in our environment and how we go about things on a daily basis. We need to have that confidence and do the best job we can for the player and then there will be no reason for them wanting to leave, unless it’s for a bigger league overseas or for more money as our budget is low and doesn’t compare with the likes of the Sydney and Melbourne based teams.
Finally, I asked Jake if he has made any goals for the team for next season already. “Yes. We need to continue to build upon the previous two seasons and continue to break our own goals and targets as well as making sure we continue to be exciting to watch. Additionally, we need to support and assist players to push boundaries and if winning trophies is a by-product of that then fantastic. However in short, we want to be a team that the community can be proud of.”
Ben Gilby writes for Beyond90, Australia’s leading independent women’s football platform. Visit https://beyond90.com.au/
Look out for another #DubWrap feature with W-League Players looking back at their season soon!
Impetus’ coverage of Australian Women’s Football is supported by The Chicken Salt Co. They are offering every Impetus reader 5% off all orders of Chicken Salt from their website. Go to https://www.chickensalt.co.uk/?mate=impetus and place your order – 5% will automatically be taken off of the cost. The coupon code is impetus.
Ben Gilby spoke to FC Rosengård Sporting Director Therese Sjögran, who is Sweden’s most capped international footballer about the club’s Champions League campaign and aims for the 2021 Damallsvenskan campaign.
Above: FC Rosengård’s Sporting Director Therese Sjögran – a major name in Swedish women’s football. Photo: Wikipedia.
FC Rosengård have a long and distinguished history as Therese explains.
“The club were formed in 1970 as Malmö FF Dam and remained under that name until 2007 when they became LdB FC Malmö. A final change came in 2013 when we became FC Rosengård. In the 50 or so years we have been playing, we have spent 35 in the top division. In that time we have won the top tier 11 times and finished as runners-up on a further 13 occasions.”
“Other than Covid, where it’s been tough as it has been for clubs all over the world, I think we have had a couple of good years. 2019 we won the league and 2020/2021 we played in the Champions League again, which is very important for the club.”
I asked Therese how particularly Covid had hit FC Rosengård. “We have lost a lot of money due to no people being allowed at our games. Additionally, sponsors have withdrawn their support. We really hope 2021 will be better and I think it will be when everyone gets the vaccine.”
On the positive side of the ledger in recent weeks, the club reached the Quarter-Finals of the Champions League, going down to Bayern Munich. I wondered how Therese reviewed their European experience this season.
“We are always disappointed when we lose, but we lost to a very good Bayern Munich. I think they haven’t lost in 25 games, so they played with a lot of self-confidence. But I’m proud of the team, we fought well and now we also know what we have to work on to be the best in Sweden and continue our progress.”
Above: Action from FC Rosengård’s Champions League Quarter-Final with Bayern Munich earlier this year. Photo: Reuters.
Whilst Sweden is not able to match the financial efforts of leagues such as England, Therese is still positive about how the Damallsvenskan clubs that do qualify for Europe can continue to compete towards the final stages of the competition.
“We still have a great culture in football in Sweden. Even though we can’t pay the highest salaries, we still have the environment to produce great players. We need to invest in our youth and I’m sure that we can compete at European level.
Looking to the new season, Therese outlined their recruitment plans for 2021 and specifically what made them so determined to bring in Charli Grant from Adelaide United.
“We lost a lot of players for this season but I think we brought in more quality. Our latest signing, Charlotte Grant, is very interesting. A young player with great physique who is very loyal to the game plan, so I think we have a better team this year.”
The standard of the team that FC Rosengård have put together is reflected in their aims for the new campaign. “We want to win everything we compete in,” explained Therese, “so being the number one club in Sweden is our goal. It won’t be easy though, the quality of the Damallsvenskan this season is better. There are more teams that have proven themselves to be able to beat the top teams. There is no easy game anymore, so if we want to win, we need to perform every game.”
Overnight, the Westfield W-League was able to announce a significant new TV deal which should significantly lift the access to matches in Australia along with an improvement in quality of footage broadcast.
The five-year, ground-breaking agreement which commences next season will give Australian football the greatest reach, it has ever had.
10 Bold will be the new home of the Westfield W-League, with a match broadcast live every Sunday of the league. All free-to-air matches will also be simulcast on 10 Play.
And, in a football first, A-League and Westfield W-League games will be available on Paramount+ which launches on Wednesday, 11 August for $8.99 (£4.93), with football fans and Club members given a special deal to access all games.
Beverley McGarvey, Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand, said: “We are thrilled to partner with the Australian Professional Leagues to become the new home of football for both the A-League and Westfield W-League, giving all Australians access to more football than ever before.
“As part of this landmark media rights partnership, all the action, excitement and fierce competition of the A-League and Westfield W-League will be broadcast on Network 10 and Paramount+.
“Ensuring broad reach on free-to-air, as well as extensive access on Paramount+, we are committed to showcasing the sport in innovative ways and exposing it to a plethora of programming opportunities across all our platforms, including those of our parent company ViacomCBS.”
Australian Professional Leagues (APL) Chairman, Paul Lederer, said: “Less than six months ago we pledged to create value for the whole ecosystem of Australian football, and this deal is the first step in our delivering on that promise.
“This agreement with one of the world’s biggest content providers, is exactly the kind of significant and vital milestone we have always believed was possible – and that we intend to continue achieving.”
One of the key tenets of the deal is the ability to deliver and promote top-level football to every household in Australia, as APL moves quickly to realise its planned growth, predicated on its newly secured independence.
The new deal marks the conclusion of the A-League and Westfield W-League’s 15-year partnership with Fox Sports.
Ben Gilby writes for Beyond90, Australia’s leading independent women’s football platform. Visit https://beyond90.com.au/
Impetus’ coverage of Australian Women’s Football is supported by The Chicken Salt Co. They are offering every Impetus reader 5% off all orders of Chicken Salt from their website. Go to https://www.chickensalt.co.uk/?mate=impetus and place your order – 5% will automatically be taken off of the cost. The coupon code is impetus.
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