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City Claim Big Win At The Bottom

Melbourne City 1-0 Newcastle Jets

By Kieran Yap.

**Above:** Melbourne City celebrate Chinatsu Kira’s winning goal. **Photo:** @MelbourneCity

Just three full days after their last game, Melbourne City faced the travelling Newcastle Jets and were eager to bounce back after their defeat to Western Sydney Wanderers.

City hadn’t won in the league since January and restored Rhali Dobson to the starting line-up, Newcastle were fresh off their 4-0 demolition of Perth Glory and looking to continue that momentum in the final stages of the season.

Both sides looked to attack early but it was Melbourne who had the first clear chance of the game, a near post corner found Jenna McCormick unmarked but her header, while connecting cleanly was directed wide of the post. Almost right away from the next play, Tara Andrew looked to have scored for Newcastle but the goal was disallowed for an offside call that looked unclear but elicited no protest from the Jets players.

Dobson’s impact was noticeable early, her movement and pace opens up spaces for her teammates and she linked up with Chidiac to send the playmaker into the 18-yard box where a sliding Hannah Brewer blocked her cross solidly.

**Above:** City goal scorer Chinatsu Kira (10) takes on Jets’ Tessa Tamplin. **Photo:** @MelbourneCity

Newcastle’s best chance of the first half was when centre forward Tara Andrews ran onto a bouncing ball and looked certain to trouble Barbieri in goal. She connected cleanly on the half volley but McCormick had read the danger and threw herself in front of the shot like an 80’s action movie star. It was a desperate and well-timed challenge at personal risk to herself in a side playing only for pride and was magnificent defending.

Chinatsu Kira was dangerous in City’s attack, nearly finishing after a cross from Dobson and then stretching agonizingly close to a Tori Tumeth ball, whipped in from the right. Third time was a charm for the Japanese International when she finished another Tumeth inspired move and this time turned it in spectacularly.

When the cross came in to the back post, could she have controlled it? Sure, could she have headed it? Probably, could she have leapt in the air, contorted her body and scored with a mid-flight back heel? Apparently yes. It was an incredible goal, amazing in its invention and execution and a brilliant way to open her account in the W-League. As the teams departed for half time, City were in the unfamiliar position of being 1-0 up

And that’s the way it stayed, Newcastle had the majority of second half possession and attacked at every opportunity but looked short of ideas, the Melbourne defence, with 16 year old Naomi Chinnama-Thomas at the heart of a back five was impressively solid and even after McCormick departed due to a slight injury, they looked rarely troubled.

City tended to play more on the counter attack as the game wore on, Chidiac’s bursting runs from deep central positions troubled Newcastle and after a one-two with Dobson she was unlucky not to score. Dobson also had a chance to double the lead when Claire Coelho parried a Vlajnic shot but Dobson was unable to score from the rebound.

**Above:** Something for Melbourne City to celebrate at last – Kira’s goal. **Photo:** @MelbourneCity

Chidiac is a different player when she is able to get on the ball in the midfield, she has the ability to run, beat players and spot passes ahead of her and another trademark surge set up Kira whose shot was well saved by Coelho at the near post.

Newcastle still had weapons though and never gave up trying to find the equalizer. Gema Simon whipped in a late free kick toward Andrews, the club leading scorer was able to get her head to the ball but Emma Checker did just enough to put her off and the home side were able to run down the clock for the final few minutes.

It was Melbourne City’s first win since January after suffering their longest run of games without scoring. it was a deserved, hard fought win and they were unlucky not to score one more.

Newcastle perhaps unusually for them, struggled to create many chances either through the wide areas or the normally inventive Rhianna Pollicina, still their effort did not drop and they stayed in the contest until the end.

This was a game between two sides out of finals contention, yet judging by the commitment from both sides this could have been a final, after years of dominance it is a weird feeling being happy for the City players getting a win but they deserved to celebrate and will hope to replicate that feeling next week against Perth.

Teams: MELBOURNE CITY: Barbieri, Checker, Thomas-Chinnama, McCormick, Tumeth, Vlajnic, Davidson, Hoelsbrekken-Eckhoff, Kira, Chidiac, Dobson. Substitutes: Johnson, Cain, Muldeary, Robinne.

Scorer: Kira 42.

NEWCASTLE JETS: Coelho, Tamplin, Simon, King, Brewer, Pollicina, O’Brien, Davis, Andrews, Allan, Franco. Substitutes: Simonsen (GK), Bass, Jaber, Petratos, Harding.

Referee: Isabella Libri.

Attendance: 326.

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	GD
Sydney FC	10	8	0	2	24	10	24	+14
Brisbane Roar	11	6	4	1	26	12	22	+14
Adelaide United	11	6	1	4	19	17	19	+2
Canberra United	10	5	3	2	20	16	18	+4
Melbourne Victory	9	5	2	2	17	12	17	+5
Western Sydney Wanderers	11	4	1	6	12	18	13	-6
Newcastle Jets	10	2	1	7	14	17	7	-3
Melbourne City	10	2	1	6	8	22	7	-14
Perth Glory	8	0	1	7	6	22	1	-16

Top four sides qualify for the finals at the end of the regular season.

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.

Gielnik Hat-Trick Ensures Brisbane Get Their Roar Back

Brisbane Roar 4–2 Adelaide United

By Kris Goman

We’re in Round 12 of the W-League and reaching the pointy end of the competition.

Brisbane and Adelaide are on the same points in the table, having nineteen each but Roar is above on goal difference. This is a critical game for both teams as the winner will be clear in second place and closer to guaranteeing a finals berth.

Roar have come on in Polkinghorne 150 games t-shirts during warm-up and many in the crowd have the same t-shirt. Adelaide are in their away kit which resembles a McDonalds uniform.

Mallory Webber has assumed the role of captain for Adelaide and Worth is back in as keeper for Roar replacing Aquino in goal.

Brisbane kick off. There is a huge crowd at Lions Stadium and the Roar Corps are in fine voice and have their signs up around the field.

An early cross by Gielnik is skied by Hecher right in front of goal. Straight away afterwards, Webber sends a cross to Isobel Hodgson and she shoots but Worth has it under control. Looks like it’s going to be a pretty even match.

Another cross by Gielnik, not too long after, sees Fryer-McLaren grab it while Yallop jumps up like an energizer bunny behind her in anticipation of the ball that never arrived.

Gielnik sent a long shot from the side-line aiming for the top right corner that just misses. Little bit more spin and that would have been in.

A cross-field pass out to Hecher sees her twist under pressure to get a shot away but it’s wide and goes across the goal with no one to run onto it. Dalton takes a long range shot that also goes wide to the right. Torpey also takes a crack that skims the crossbar. Brisbane are applying plenty of pressure in the first 20 minutes.

At 21 minutes Hecher centres a ball to Gielnik who shoots. It’s straight to Fryer-McLaren but she can’t control it and it bounces back into the field of play. Hecher runs up and bangs it past her for Brisbane’s first goal of the match.

**Above:** Brisbane Roar’s Mariel Hecher celebrates her opener. **Photo:** @BrisbaneRoar

Adelaide launch a counter attack but can’t break through the Brisbane defence.

On 30 minutes there’s a nice move when Yallop gets a ball to Chance who passes to Gielnik but her shot is out to the left surprisingly as she was unmarked when she got the ball.

Hodgson gets to run a ball down the right and sends a cross towards goal but it can’t be picked up by Webber and goes wide. Immediately after, Hodgson gets the ball again and brings it down the centre. She sends the ball to the right to release Dawber. She steps around Polkinghorne and slams it into the left side of goal and at 34 minutes we’re level again at 1-1.

Just as the Brisbane goal seemed to energise Adelaide, the Adelaide goal has injected Brisbane with a bit more enthusiasm but no more goals eventuate before the half time whistle.

Brisbane come out swinging in the second half and launch a few unsuccessful attacks with a couple of shots by Gielnik foiled. A corner is punched away but Yallop brings it back in and her cross results in mayhem in front of goal before it goes safely out for another corner. The corner comes to naught. The ball is up and down the field a bit until Rojas gets a nice run down the middle avoiding both defenders but her shot is off target.

Shortly after, Gielnik is called offside and a ball put in by Yallop is disallowed. Worth clears a ball to Webber by mistake but she takes a rather weak shot that is easily gathered while Rojas is unmarked in the middle and clearly not happy about not getting the ball.

Hodgson takes a shot from out on the right wing that is caught by Worth. Not too long after, Torpey gets a good close range shot away that’s blocked by Emily Hodgson who was marking her closely.

The resulting corner bounces around in front of goal and Fryer-McLaren is unable to capture the ball. It comes out of the chaos to Gielnik who slams it in for a goal. At 61 minutes, Brisbane are back in the lead 2-1.

Adelaide are straight back on the attack and Dawber gets past a couple of Brisbane players to get a ball out to Hodgson on the right who’s in the clear. Worth comes right out and is able to block her shot in a goal saving move.

The corner comes direct to Waldus’ head and she pops up to send it towards goal but somehow Worth punches it away. It looked like a sure thing.

**Above:** Brisbane Roar legend Clare Polkinghorne (right of centre, front row in match kit) with her team-mates, coaching staff and Roar Corps fans to commemorate her 150th appearance for the club. **Photo:** @TheRoarCorps

At 68 minutes, Gielnik brings the ball up the centre and sends a long one out to Hecher. She passes back in to Yallop who takes a lovely shot that goes just right, into the side net. Just off target but a very sweet shot and nice run of play.

At 70 minutes Brisbane get a free kick on the right side-line after a foul on Yallop. It bounces around for a while goes right back to Carroll who sends it back up field, more passes then out to Dalton, back in, back out to Dalton again who slips it to Gielnik to tap it low past Fryer-McLaren for her second goal of the night and eleventh of the season.

A break down the right side by Dawber sees her shot go well high. Another break by Grant is stopped by a tackle by Chance.

McKenna starts off a Brisbane attack by coming down the middle and sending a slow ball through to Gielnik. She gets around Waldus and finds Fryer-McLaren well off her line and is able to put the ball past her for a hat-trick at 80 minutes.

After Heatley gets entangled with Hecher and they both go down, a gap opens for Adelaide and Worts has the ball in midfield and clears it out to Dawber over on the right who is unmarked. She shoots it into the bottom right hand corner out of reach of Worth and suddenly things are interesting again. Adelaide have not given up by any stretch of the imagination and rush the ball back for the kick-off.

In stoppage time Gielnik gets another clear shot on goal but a diving save sends it out. At full time Brisbane emerge victorious and have won 4-2 in a pretty convincing effort in the end. It was pretty even in the first half but Brisbane ramped things up in the second half and, despite their best efforts, Adelaide couldn’t match them. Gielnik looked very good and was able to finish well and get a hat-trick which takes her well clear in the golden boot race. It also deservedly got her player of match.

Teams: BRISBANE ROAR: Worth, Heatley, Rankin, Carroll, Polkinghorne, Dalton, Chance, Hecher, Torpey, Gielnik, Yallop. Substitutes: Aquino (GK), Crummer, Horsey, McKenna, Freir.

Scorers: Hecher 22. Gielnik 62, 72, 80.

ADELAIDE UNITED: Fryer-McLaren, E.Hodgson, Grant, McNamara, Waldus, Hogg, Condon, Rojas, Dawber, I.Hodgson, Weber. Substitutes: Grove (GK), Johns, Kirkby, Worts, Mullan.

Scorers: Dawber 34, 87.

Referee: Isabella Blaess.

Attendance: 1,791.

Glory for Canberra & Heyman But Pride For Perth

Perth Glory 2–3 Canberra United

By Ben Gilby.

**Above:** Canberra United embrace after Michelle Heyman’s winning goal five minutes into stoppage time. **Photo:** @CanberraUnited

One of the most dramatic last ten minutes of any match you will see anywhere this season ended with Canberra United’s Finals hopes remaining intact after a 3-2 win over Perth Glory.

This was a game that had everything – Michelle Heyman breaking the all-time W-League goal scoring record, two missed penalties within minutes of each other, a sending off and a goal at the death.

Something which really must be underlined amidst all of the drama of the ending to the game and Heyman’s record breaking efforts is the incredible effort and never-say-die spirit that this exceptionally young Perth Glory side displayed throughout. Alex Epakis’ team came back from a losing position twice and scored two quite outstanding goals.

This game, officially a Perth Glory home game was moved to Viking Park, Canberra United’s ground, due to restrictions in force within Western Australia on people who had been in the state of Victoria within a given time frame, and with Canberra having played in Melbourne recently, their whole squad came under that bracket.

Despite Canberra’s outstanding performance in thrashing previously unbeaten Brisbane Roar at home last weekend, Perth went into the game buoyed by the fact that their sole point this season came in their visit to the same venue back in late January.

Within twenty-four seconds, Canberra won a free-kick due to hand in the face of Bianca Galic by Malia Steinmetz which resulted in the Perth player being yellow carded.

The first half chance came after three minutes when Grace Maher ran through the midfield and found Nikki Flannery on the right hand side but she couldn’t get any power into the shot and Lily Alfeld easily gathered in the Perth goal.

Three minutes later, Flannery was involved again. She off loaded to Michelle Heyman centrally just outside the box. Heyman’s deft touch back to her team mate saw Flannery through on goal, she squared the ball across to Laura Hughes who slid in but couldn’t quite reach the cross.

**Above:** A midfield tussle at Viking Park. **Photo:** @PerthGloryFC

With twelve minutes played, Kiwi international Paige Satchell raced down the left and played in Heyman who in turn found Maher. The 21 year-old midfielder ran into the box and skewed an effort off of her right foot into the arms of Alfeld as Canberra continued to press in the opening exchanges.

Satchell was flying down the left wing in this period, and her pace created an opportunity for Galic to play a low ball across the face of the goal which Flannery was not able to get on the end of. A whole volume of missed opportunities in the opening twenty minutes were racking up for the Lime Green Machine – would these come back to haunt them?

The New Zealander had another opportunity shortly after when she got through on the left yet again and looked to have an arm put across her. It was one of those moments that had she gone down, you feel a penalty would have been awarded, however, Satchell stayed on her feet and got a shot away which didn’t trouble her compatriot Alfeld in the Perth goal.

It was all too comfortable for Canberra in the opening twenty minutes. To try and grab some form of foothold in the game, Glory tried to develop short passing triangles ahead of looking for a longer ball down to Deborah-Ann De La Harpe to run onto. One such move led to the Glory defender winning a corner from Lauren Keir. De La Harpe’s flag kick came in high and was met by a great header which was narrowly over.

Despite Perth’s best spell in the game, with nine minutes of the half left, it was Canberra who took the lead, thanks to the impressive partnership of Michelle Heyman and Nikki Flannery. Grace Maher offloaded to Heyman who laid off a side footed pass for Flannery to run onto on the right of the box. Flannery took a touch and comfortably shot home past Alfeld.

Two minutes later, Canberra almost doubled their advantage when Lauren Keir’s dangerous cross was met by Heyman sliding in with her effort being saved by Alfeld’s foot. It ricocheted off a Glory defender and away for a corner which Perth eventually cleared.

However, Perth showed their character by levelling with four minutes of the half left, and what a strike it was. Sarah Morgan took possession from a throw in on the right and a long ball through from Liz Anton was perfect for Caitlin Doeglas on the left hand side. Doeglas beat Keir outside the box and fired a superb shot into the top right hand corner to level matters for the Glory.

Canberra had one further chance right at the end of first half stoppage time. Heyman beat both Sarah Carroll and Tash Rigby to play in a low ball across the six yard box. The pass found Flannery whose goal bound effort was brilliantly blocked by De La Harpe.

Perth created the first opportunity in the second half, seven minutes in. The busy Alexia Moreno played a lovely long through ball into Caitlin Doeglas who ran onto it with Keeley Richards getting there first.

Canberra’s reply was instant and, literally record breaking. Michelle Heyman took advantage of a slip and hit an effort which rebounded off Alfeld back into her path and she turned and lofted a glorious first time effort into the right hand top corner of the net – a magnificent strike to become the W-League’s all-time record goal scorer.

**Above:** Perth Glory goalkeeper Lily Alfeld under pressure from Canberra United’s Michelle Heyman with Jamie-Lee Gale looking on. **Photo:** @CanberraUnited

Laura Hughes then called Alfeld back into duty again minutes later when she hit a long range shot that the Glory keeper had to tip over.

Perth reverted to a patient build up to stem the flow of Canberra possession – it was a mature response from a very young side. In this period, Kat Jukic played a ball in towards Jamie-Lee Gale whose effort was off target.

With nineteen minutes to go, Jukic gave Perth a lifeline once more. From well over thirty yards, the midfield substitute lofted a magnificent shot over Keeley Richards into the net. It was a fantastic reply from the Western Australian side.

Hayley Taylor-Young’s introduction as substitute brought a massive injection of pace to the left flank in the closing stages for Canberra.

As the game entered its final six minutes, Heyman headed on a ball towards Flannery who got in ahead of Alfeld, but Anton tidied up brilliantly. Moments later, Kendall Fletcher was brought down in the box by a combination of Patricia Charalambous and Tash Rigby, with referee Lara Lee pointing to the spot.

Up stepped Fletcher and she hit the base of the left hand post with Perth reacting quickest to clear for a corner.

Within seconds though, Lara Lee was pointing to the spot again with Tash Rigby being adjudged to handle from the resulting corner. Perth felt it was incredibly harsh and Sarah Carroll received a second yellow for her protestations. Up stepped Fletcher once more, and once more she missed. This time it went wide of the left hand post. A staggering chain of events and yet another series of opportunities gone begging for Canberra United.

Yet, with a minute of stoppage time to play, there was yet another twist. This was simply a must win game for Canberra for their Finals hopes and who would you put your money on to ensure the Lime Green machine won it?

Michelle Heyman was played through by Demi Koulizakis and calmly placed the winner past Alfeld for her second of the evening.

The plethora of chances that Canberra created in the opening twenty minutes could have put the game out of Perth’s reach early on. As the campaign reaches its climax, teams wishing to play Finals cannot afford to spurn opportunities in such great numbers when they come, but those worries are for the future. For now, Canberra are celebrating an incredible win. It was cruel on Perth, but for the sheer number of chances created across ninety minutes, the ACT side will feel it was a deserved win.

Teams: PERTH GLORY: Alfeld, De La Harpe, Rigby, Carroll, Anton, Steinmetz, Morgan, Lowry, Moreno, Gale, Douglas. Substitutes: Bennett (GK), McKenna, Jukic, Tabain, Charalambous.

Scorers: Doeglas 41, Jukic 71.

CANBERRA UNITED: Richards, Keir, Ilijoski, Nash, Fletcher, Galic, Maher, Hughes, Heyman, Flannery, Satchell. Substitutes: James (GK), Goldstein, Rasschaert, Koulizakis, Taylor-Young.

Scorers: Flannery 34. Heyman 54, 90+5.

Referee: Lara Lee.

Attendance: 942.

West Is Best As City Slump

Melbourne City 0-4 Western Sydney Wanderers

By Kieran Yap

**Above:** Western Sydney Wanderers celebrate their first ever away win against a Melbourne based side. **Photo:** @wswanderers

It was a round of W-League action packed with special moments and Melbourne City vs Western Sydney Wanderers had its fair share of highlights. A fast paced, sometimes scrappy but constantly entertaining game was the result when the two sides met at City’s new base at Frank Holohan reserve in Dandenong.

Melbourne were without Teagan Micah due to injury but she was replaced by the much accomplished veteran Melissa Barbieri who became the oldest W-League player in history at the age of 41, The Wanderers began with a familiar line-up and once again elected to trust the attack to 17 year old striker Bryleeh Henry ahead of the in-form super-sub Leena Khamis.

From the first whistle the Wanderers were on the attack and looked to test the experienced defence of Jenna McCormick and Emma Checker. Georgia Yeoman-Dale brilliantly cut the ball back inside from the left wing and hit a well struck shot that Barbieri saved confidently and Teigan Collister was looking dangerous on the opposite flank.

In the 12^th minute the deadlock was broken, Collister whipped in a low cross into the area between the goalkeeper and the defence and Bryleeh Henry attacked the ball hardest to finish beyond Barbieri from point blank range.

**Above:** Melbourne City’s Tori Tumeth (5) is sandwiched between Western Sydney Wanderers’ Julie-Ann Russell (left) and Georgia Yeoman-Dale (right). **Photo:** @MelbourneCity

The ball into the box was perfect, any defender trying to cut it off would have risked an own goal and Henry was able to use her impressive acceleration to arrive on time to bury it home. She has looked dangerous in recent weeks, her speed troubled the Victory and defenders the week before but this time she had the finishing to match, she deserved her first W-League goal and had rewarded the faith that the coaches have placed in her.

Henry might have secured the headlines but it was very much the Collister show, the winger once more helping set up Yeoman-Dale to test Barbieri and again the keeper was able to save spectacularly with a diving effort.

There was nothing she could do to stop what happened next though, Collister received the ball from a Julie-Anne Russell switch and sent the ball in toward Henry who did not waste the surprising amount of space she was in and tapped home to make it 2-0 to the visitors at half time.

City began the second half in search of goals and with nothing to lose, Hollie Palmer found Alex Chidiac with a nice cross early in the second half but she was unable to direct the header on target.

**Above:** Western Sydney Wanderers celebrate Bryleeh Henry’s second goal. **Photo:** @wswanderers.

The hosts were unlucky not to receive a penalty after Chinatsu Kira was chopped down in the box, it was during a tussle for the ball but the defender got none of the ball yet somehow miraculously received a free kick themselves.

Jenna McCormick went on a solo run down the right, hoping to inspire her team and her cross caused momentary panic for the Wanderers defence, unfortunately it sailed past the back post with nobody there to meet it.

Substitute Sam Johnson had one of the clearer chances for City when she connected cleanly with her head from a corner but the ball flew over the bar. Western Sydney had a two-goal cushion but it momentarily looked under threat.

Collister continued her dominant display, another trademark run resulted in a shot that bobbled around the six-yard box and forced Barbieri into a miraculous save before being called into action again to deny Henry her hat-trick with a strong save from a flicked shot on target.

**Above:** Melbourne City’s Tyla-Jay Vlajnic (19) competes for the ball with Western Sydney Wanderers Teigan Collister. **Photo:** @MelbourneCity

Rosie Galea was next to find the goal, Collister again was the main instigator, another cross from the right was not cleared by Melbourne and with the ball running behind Henry the substitute was on hand to smash it into the back of the net, burying any chance of a comeback by the hosts.

In the dying minutes Galea added a second and the Wanderers fourth, Yeoman-Dale was the provider on this occasion, sending in a dangerous cross that Barbieri parried away, the ball bounced in the 18 yard box and Galea reacted fastest, attacked the ball at full pace and rifled it home to make it 4-0.

It wasn’t a classic game, but Teigan Collister’s performance was one to admire, a winger in flying form at full pace is still one of the sport’s greatest sights and her contribution to the side was massive.

The emergence of Bryleeh Henry as a scoring threat in this match was exciting to see and Western Sydney Wanderers head coach Dean Heffernan should be commended for trusting and developing her this season when goals were scarce for much of the year. Western Sydney have slowly worked their way into form, if the season was a few weeks longer they would look a dangerous finals prospect and if they can keep the core of this side together next season they should find some success.

Melbourne City are going through a rough patch, they recruited experienced talented players across the park but are clearly missing a reliable goal scorer. They have a short wait before the chance to redeem themselves as they play Newcastle Jets three days later and will want to end the season with a few wins.

Teams: MELBOURNE CITY: Barbieri, Checker, Thomas-Chinnama, McCormick, Tumeth, Vlajnic, Davidson, Hoelsbrekken-Eckhoff, Kira, Chidiac, Palmer. Substitutes: Micah, Johnson, Cain, Muldeary, Dobson.

WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS: Willacy, Matos, Yeoman-Dale, Orgill, Cooper, Copus-Brown, Hunter, Price, Henry, Collister, Russell. Substitutes: Newbon (GK), Chauvet, Galea, Halloway, Khamis.

Scorers: Henry 12, 26. Galea 82, 90+3.

Referee: Casey Reibelt.

Attendance: 547.

The Swedish Scene

It’s our regular Saturday round-up from the Swedish women’s football scene. This week, @DandalBs tells us about fixture news for the national side, UEFA Women’s Champions League action, transfer news and provides us with a round-up all the pre-season friendly and Swedish Cup news.

Sweden have announced two upcoming friendlies, at home to World Champions USA in Solna on 10th April and away to Poland on 13th April. Due to the 50,000 capacity of Solna’s Friends Arena, it is possible that a number of spectators may be able to attend that game.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Rosengård gained a great 2-0 win away to St Pölten to win the last sixteen tie 4-2 on aggregate. After drawing the first leg 2-2 on home soil, Rosengård looked as though they may have lost their chance to progress. Despite not being totally convincing, goals from Emma Berglund and Mimmi Larsson sent the Swedish side into the Quarter-Finals. In the draw made yesterday, Rosengård drew Bayern Munich with the first leg away from home. The winners of the tie will meet either VfL Wolfsburg or Chelsea in the semi-finals.

PRE-SEASON GAME NEWS:

Djurgården won their first pre-season friendly with a comfortable 6-1 victory over last season Uppsala who were relegated from the Damallsvenskan last season. Goals from Hanna Ekengren (2), Gudrun Arnadottir, Tilde Lindwall, Haley Dowd and Sara Olai won them the game.

Linköping defeated Eskilstuna United 1-0, thanks to a goal from a free-kick by Frida Maanum.

BK Häcken demolished Vittsjö 7-0. Filippa Angeldahl (2), Pauline Hammarlund, Stina Blackstenius (2), Filippa Curmark and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd scored the goals. Vittsjö had big problems handling the high, aggressive pressure from Häcken who look ready for the Swedish Cup matches starting next weekend.

Piteå went down 2-0 to Hammarby with Ellen Wangerheim scoring both goals. Hammarby became the first side to defeat Piteå in pre-season. The goal scorer, Ellen Wangerheim is one well worth keeping an eye on, she is just 16 years-old.

**Above:** Hammarby celebrate Ellen Wangerheim’s second goal. **Photo:** Henric Wauge.

Örebro gained a 1-0 win over AIK in what was an extremely tight match. The identity of the goal scorer is not confirmed. Karin Lundin looked the most likely, but Anna Sandberg was also very nearby.

SWEDISH CUP NEWS:

Linköping won 3-0 away to IFK Norrköping. Therese Simonsson, Uchenna Grace Kanu, Frida Maanum sealed a comfortable win for Linköping, which earns them a place in Swedish Cup Group One with among others, BK Häcken.

The last sixteen of the competition gets underway this coming weekend, with the teams divided into four groups of four teams with each team playing each other once. In this weekend’s games, Group One: Lidkopings v Linkopings and BK Hacken v Vaxjo. Group Two: Alingsas FC United v Kristianstads and FC Rosengard v Vittsjo. Group Three: KIF Orebro v Hammarby and Sundavalls DFF v Eskilstuna United. Group Four: Moron BK v Umea IK FF and Djurgardens v IK Uppsala.

NEWS IN BRIEF:

Damallsvenskan newcomers AIK have announced the signing of 23 year-old defender Hannah Davison from Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL.

**Above:** AIK unveil the signing of Hannah Davison. **Photo:** Jesper Zerman.

Icelandic forward Dilja Zomers has joined BK Häcken from Valur. The 19 year-old moved to Göteborg with her boyfriend, Valgeir Lunddal Fridriksson, who just signed with BK Häcken’s men’s team and has been on a trial for a short period.

Katriina Talaslahti: Living The Dream in Lyon

Jean-Pierre Thiesset spoke exclusively to Olympique Lyonnais’ goalkeeper Katriina Talaslahti about her career so far, what life is like at Lyon and her aims for the future.

Katriina Talaslahti was born on September 21, 2000 in Espoo, Finland and is the third of three sisters. She is Finnish and started at small club close to her home at the age of five years old following her oldest sister to the pitch.

She started as a striker and scored goals but quickly she preferred to try to stop the opposition strikers from scoring and began as a goalkeeper at six years old. After playing for FC Honka and Leppävaaran Pallo in Finland, she moved to Germany in 2014 at 13 years old near Munich to FC Nürnberg where she played with her sister Pauliina Talaslahti. She moved onto Bayern Munich one year later and stayed with them for four years until Olympique Lyonnais contacted her and signed her on a three year contract in July 2019.

Katriina has made several appearances for Finland’s National youth squad. She played once for Finland U17s squad in 2016/2017 and four times for Finland U19s squad in 2018-2019.

**Above:** Katriina Talaslahti during a training session with Olympique Lyonnais on 19th September 2019. **Photo:** Jean-Pierre Thiesset.

While living in Germany, Katriina played for the Bayern State team for several years, of which Bayern’s games against the Czech team are particularly noteworthy. Also, Katriina has won the Women’s 2.Bundesliga Championship with FC Bayern München in 2019 and U17 Bundesliga Championship 2017 in FC Bayern München as well. She was selected the best goalkeeper in Southern States of Germany 2015. It’s good to mention that Finland have just qualified for the 2022 UEFA Women’s European Championships in England.

Not a lot of people know it, but Katriina already played against Paris St. Germain and Liverpool. It was in August 2018 with Bayern Munich at the Toulouse Ladies Cup against PSG and in a training game against Liverpool. She was also in the Bayern Munich’s squad for a Women’s UEFA Champions League game in September 2018.

Katriina speaks several languages. She speaks Finnish, her native language, although she told me that she preferred to speak English during our interview because she was more confident to find her words in English as she left Finland almost eight years ago. She also speaks German fluently and is currently learning French. She studied in an English International IB School in Germany when she was younger and graduated there. Currently, she continues to study Business Management in University with online studies.

Interview:

Jean-Pierre Thiesset: Who/what inspired you to become a football player?

Katriina Talaslahti: My two older sisters played football and I never considered practicing another sport than football. I was born into a sporting family. My mother played volleyball when she was younger, and my dad was a really good squash player.

JPT: Who are your favorites women players (French and foreign)?

KT: I do not have like one player that I prefer, because so many women players get better and better, so it is hard just to focus on one. I really appreciate everybody because all of them have little things that are better than another.

JPT: Who is your role-model if you have one?

KT: I do not have a role model. I just have for the men side Manuel Neuer mostly because I used to play in Bayern Munich like him.

JPT: What is your greatest challenge on the pitch?

KT: On the pitch, my greatest challenge is to improve as a player and always win titles. It is not only for me but for the team; The challenge for me is to make the team better and bring my qualities to the team and try to help the team to win titles. Obviously, I think it is a great moment when we win French Cup or Women’s UEFA Champions League as a team.

JPT: What is your greatest challenge off the pitch?

KT: Off the pitch, maybe to keep the environment you are living in safe. I am very calm, and I like to support others. In Lyon we have so many foreigners that are far from their family and friends that we need to comfort each other when one is a little bit down. It is important to keep the friendship and your family close.

**Above:** Katriina Talaslahti training with Olympique Lyonnais on 18th October 2019. **Photo:** Jean-Pierre Thiesset.

JPT: Who are your closest teammates?

KT: Jessica Silva, Janice Cayman and Nikita Parris. We used to get together a lot; we go out for coffee with the “foreigners” because we got to be very close to each other. For example, Jess and I arrived in Lyon at the same time, so we got really close, you know. I think I get along with everybody, but those people are the closest to me.

JPT: What do you like to get up to off the pitch?

KT: I like to get along with people. We mostly go for coffee (laughs). We like to go to the parc. Sometimes, if I am alone, I watch Netflix but that is not every day because I do not really like to be by myself at home. I love to explore and walk around to discover things. And obviously, I like to call my family and friends to know how they are doing. As a person, if I am busy, I feel happier. I would love to go to New York especially since one of my oldest sisters leaved in New Jersey, but right now it is difficult, and I will have to wait (laughs).

JPT: You do not play to video games?

KT: Video games, No (laughs).

JPT: What is your favourite animal?

KT: I do love Pandas; They are so cute. I am not really a cat or dog fan, and I do not really know why. Actually, my cousin has two cats and they are lovely and I love them but as to own one myself no. I do like all animals. I like giraffes too because they are amazing, they are so high (laughs).

JPT: What are your favourite foods?

KT: I like Salmon and mashed potatoes with vegetables like broccoli. I also like Finnish dark bread and then coffee.

JPT: What about Lyon specialties?

KT: I like French food in general but there are so many different names that I cannot cite one in particular (laughs). I like French food even if sometimes I do not know exactly what it is.

JPT: What kind of music do you like?

KT: I like pop music, you know what it is playing on the radio, and sometimes rap. I do not really like rock; it is too heavy for me.

JPT: What makes OL such a great club to play for?

KT: When Lyon contacted me in 2019, I thought “Wow!” I guess I did a really good job before to have a club like Lyon propose me a contract and I signed. It is just an incredible environment to train, and I am such a young player compare to the other players (laughs). I am young, and for me as a young player it is an amazing environment to improve as a player.

JPT: I hope you will play more, and you are too I guess?

KT: To be honest it is a very hard situation because there are a lot of stars and it is really hard for me to play but it is a situation you need to adapt to, and I hope so that I will get to play more. I still have a long career in front of me and I know I have to be patient. That is my goal also to be first, I am not satisfied to be second or third goalkeeper, I want to play of course, and I think that time will come to me, I am one hundred percent sure.

JPT: What is your main quality?

KT: On the pitch, I would say I have good feet for my age, and I am confident. Even though I am around professional people, I can adapt very quickly to different situations. But I still need to improve, and this is why I really like training (laughs). Off the pitch, I am very friendly, but I have also my limits. When I have to do something, I have got to do it without delay; this is probably due to my stay in Germany, and my friend Nikita says that I do things the German way and that I am strict. I would say that I am not strict, but I am on time (laughs). I am also very flexible so that is probably why I can easily adapt myself.

**Above:** Katriina Talaslahti at Olympique Lyonnais training session on 22nd August 2019. **Photo:** Jean-Pierre Thiesset.

JPT: What do you need to improve in your game?

KT: It is hard to say for myself and I guess it is probably easier for someone from outside, but I think I need to improve my concentration during the game. I think it will come with more years of experience and as I used to say, it does not matter which age you are, you can always improve. You need to have good mentality to believe you can actually improve and be better.

JPT: Is there a message you would like to give to your fans?

KT: Thank you very much for your support. The players miss hearing your voices so much. To be honest, when you are cheering for us, it means a lot and it gives us more strength. Especially for women’s football, we would like to increase the fan level like it is in the men football. I have a lot of men friends and sometimes they say, “We come to watch women football because they look pretty”. But I think that women’s football is going so much better and people are more interested in the way we play. Lyon fans, you come to the game and you cheer for us and it is a big help for us to be motivated and I really want to thank you for that.

My Footballing Experience

In another article written by the players of Bure Valley Youth, one of our partner clubs, Maisie from their Under 14s team shares her experience playing football with us and why she loves Bure Valley Youth FC so much.

When I was younger I used to compete in individual sports, therefore I had little experience of any team sports like football. When I started at Bure Valley I knew most of the girls there from school, and I knew them well however, I didn’t know their style of play or their skills. As I trained and played more, I understood how they worked together and I started to experience how teams sports work.

I am always excited to play with the team and eager to score. I love the adrenaline rush when the ball gets played at my feet in a forward position and when our team scores or when we win a game. I also love every training session, they are all different and fun. We usually play a match at the end of the session, this helps me improve my skills so I am ready for the game at the weekend. Everyone is so supportive at the club, the players but most importantly the coaches. They work harder than all of us, they prepare the sessions, they make them fun, and not only do they teach us to be better footballers but also to be better sportspeople.

I am a season ticket holder for Norwich City, I go to Carrow Road with my dad and brother, it is absolutely brilliant. I love learning new tricks and experiencing thousands of people enjoying the same moment together. Watching football got me into football, it’s always been something I enjoy and I wanted to try it. Many of my friends at school attend a football club and they all said the club would be happy for me to join. I am so pleased I have started football , and recently my dad has started to coach, and it really feels like a family.

I have loved my time at Bure Valley and can’t wait to start it up again when allowed. It’s a big part of my life now and I can’t wait to start another chapter.

Beecholme Belles: Doing Great Work In Banstead

Impetus are proud to be joint-sponsors of Sutton United Women’s Olivia Watson. One of Olivia’s early football experiences came at local girls side Beecholme Belles. Ben Gilby spoke to the club about their set up, challenges and how they remember Olivia.

Can you tell us about the journey that girls’ football has taken at Beecholme? Gary Tuhill and Ray Watson, who were frustrated at the lack of opportunities for girls to play competitive football, established Beecholme Belles in 2000. The team was made up of sisters and friends of a Beecholme Colts boys team.

In 2001 there were enough other clubs to join the Belles in the Surrey County Women’s & Girls League. The Under 11s at that time went on to win the League, League Cup and County Cup treble! The Under 10 team – which included a number of Under 8s and Under 9s – went on to be the runners up.

Since then our teams have had mixed results but Beecholme remains at our original Council owned ground in Banstead and is still a club run by parent volunteers dedicated to giving girls the opportunities in football that boys readily enjoy.

**Above:** Olivia Watson, now of Sutton United and co-sponsored by *Impetus* in action for Beecholme Belles. **Photo** **via:** Beecholme Belles

Towards the end of last year, we annonuced the joint sponsorship of Olivia Watson at Sutton United. Olivia started her footballing journey with you at Beecholme Belles. How is she remembered at the club? Libby’s potential was spotted by Jim Hobern who was one of our manager / coaches at the time. Jim was coaching at a local primary school tournament and remembers speaking to her mum and being surprised to hear Libby wasn’t already a member of a club. Jim said: “After the footie tournament I asked Libby who she played for, as I didn’t recognise her from other sides in the league, she said she had never played before and was easily girl of the tournament. I left Beecholme’s details and didn’t hear anything until we played a netball tournament at Shawley and she again was girl of the tournament. But fortunately her mother, Vanessa was there, and I managed to convince her that Libby should come and see if she likes football at Beecholme and the rest is history.“ Libby joined Jim’s team in 2008 and finished as an Under 18 in 2015/16 when her team won the Surrey League Challenge Cup and were Surrey County League Champions under the management of Jim Hobern and Jim Carter.

At that time the Club didn’t have a women’s team so Jim negotiated with Kingstonian LFC and a lot of the team transferred. A strong bond was formed both on and off the pitch and the girls still keep in touch. Beecholme tries to continue that ethos of not only allowing the girls to develop their football skills but also their social skills and confidence. We recognise some girls will continue to play football but that all of them can go on to become confident and happy women in whatever they do.

What sort of proportion of girls have gone on from Beecholme Belles to play senior women’s football? We don’t have the capacity to keep track, but we do know that Libby is one of 6 former Belles playing at Sutton United:- Sophia Demetriou (U21s Captain), Erin McNicholas, Fern Colepio, Georgina Wicks & Ellie Denton. Other players have moved on to Mole Valley, Tooting Bec WFC, Roffey FCW and Walton Casuals LFC as well as playing at university or on scholarships in the United States. Some younger players have moved on to Chelsea or Brighton & Hove Albion. It works both ways though because we also accept players who have played at Chelsea or Brighton & Hove Albion!

**Above**: Olivia Watson on the charge in her days with Beecholme Belles. **Photo via:** Beecholme Belles.

We started our first women’s team in 2019 so there is now the opportunity for girls over 16 / women to play in the County Flexi League. This is an area that has seen rapid growth over the last few years with fantastic support from Surrey County FA.

How have things been since outbreak of coronavirus? How has it impacted on the club? The biggest impact is the cessation of football training and play. When we were presented with the guidelines from the FA and Government last summer we developed a Covid Plan, appointed a Club Covid Officer and parent volunteers from every team stepped up to act as Covid Marshals. That very quickly helped us to take the necessary precautions and allow (initially small) group training to restart. Approximately 95% of players returned to weekly training which we managed to arrange throughout the summer with the help of our volunteer managers / coaches. We saw it as a way of supporting the players’ mental and physical wellbeing. We were very lucky to get financial support from Surrey County FA & and the Football Foundation to cover increased costs e.g. PPE first aid, hand sanitisers.

The Club has exceptional relationships with its coaching partner LionHeart Football and Blenheim High School who provide us with winter training facilities. The Committee and groundsman continues to work hard throughout lockdown to support our members to ensure we’re ready as soon as restrictions are lifted.

**Above:** Olivia Watson striding away for Beecholme Belles. **Photo** **via:** Beecholme Belles.

Other than the consequences of the coronavirus outbreak, what are the biggest challenges facing the club on and off the pitch at the present time? The biggest challenge is the costs of running a grassroots club. We don’t own our own ground so lease a public recreation ground from the Council, which we then pay to maintain. We have to provide our own equipment; the biggest is of course goal posts and nets. We have no storage so have experienced net damage from the local wildlife and just before Christmas someone actually stole our new 11v11 nets on a Saturday afternoon!!

How many different girls teams do you have at Beecholme Girls? How have they got on in their league and cup matches in recent years? For the 20/21 season we have 10 teams ranging from U9s through to open age women’s team. We also run two Wildcats Centres in association with Surrey County FA and our coaching partner LionHeart Football. It’s been a mixed couple of years but almost all teams have gained promotion and our senior youth teams (U16s and U18s) both sit in the County’s Premier Divisions. It’s now another difficult season and it’s possible we won’t get to finish, but as things stand it looks like our U12s, U13s and one of our U14s are likely for promotion next season.

What are Beecholme Girls’ aims for the season once lockdown is over and games can recommence? To train and play as much as possible! We didn’t get to have a celebration or pre-season tournament last season so once restrictions allow we’re planning a BIG celebration for all the players and their families!

How has the club kept touch with players, coaches and parents during the difficult coronavirus period? Managers have kept in touch with Whatsapp groups doing loo roll challenges etc. and LionHeart has held a series of online fun football sessions replacing our usual Friday evening training.

Are there any particular unsung heroes at the club who you wish to highlight for their great work? The three busiest members of the Committee (Michele, Lorraine & Karen) no longer have daughters at the Club but still put in many hours a week ‘behind the scenes’. Without them plus of course all our volunteer managers and other Club officials (e.g. Angela & Lisa our Fixtures & Referees Secretaries) we just couldn’t operate!

What are Beecholme Belles’ aims for the next five years? To get back to playing football and provide opportunities for as many girls / women as we can. We’re somewhat restrained with a very small home ground but perhaps we’ll develop relationships to access more local pitches which will allow us to grow the number of teams.

Convincing Champions League Wins For Top Two Ahead of D1 “Decider”

Jean-Pierre Thiesset reports on the last game from the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League round of sixteen between Paris Saint Germain and Sparta Prague and on the second leg game in Copehagen where Brondby hosted Lyon

Paris St. Germain 5–0 Sparta Prague on March 9, 2021:

This game was supposed to be played last week in Prague but was delayed due to Covid19 and the venues reversed. The return game will be on March 17 in the Czech Republic.

Paris St. Germain won 5-0 at home against Sparta Prague. The game was largely dominated by the D1 table toppers, who were never in difficulty. They played in a very focused and calm manner with a lot of opportunities to score in the game. Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore both played outstandingly. Katoto scored two goals and made one decisive pass despite playing only 61 minutes. Baltimore made three decisive passes in 71 minutes on the field.

Goals for Paris SG came from Marie-Antoinette Katoto (29 and 36) both with a header at the far post on a cross from Sandy Baltimore from the right side (the first with her right foot and the second with her left foot), Ramona Bachmann (56), Ashley Elizabeth Lawrence (66) on a free kick from Sandy Baltimore from the left side, and Luana (81).

Brondby 1-3 Olympique Lyonnais on March 10, 2021:

**Above:** Action from Olympique Lyonnais’ away win in Copenhagen against Brondby. **Photo:** Damien LG via @OLFeminin

After a less than convincing game in the first leg, Lyon performed much better and were able to win 3-1 against Brondby away from home (5-1 on aggregate). Even if Brondby scored first on a counter attack where Selma Bacha sprained her left ankle, Lyon dominated the game and were never really in danger during this game. For her first full game in UEFA Women Champions League with Lyon, Damaris Egurrola produced a very promising performance. It was less convincing from Catarina Macario, who played the second half and showed how much she needs to progress to adapt to the level of her teammates and UWCL games.

Brondby’s goal came from Nanna Christiansen (11). Goals for Lyon from Nikita Parris (32) on a cross from Sakina Karchaoui from the left side, Melvine Malard (42), and Wendie Renard (50) from the penalty spot after a foul on Amel Majri.

Paris St. Germain’s performance against Sparta Prague was very convincing ahead of what should be D1 Arkema championship decider against Lyon, which will take place in the Groupama Stadium at Lyon on Saturday March 13 at 9:00 pm local time. Furthermore, they will have one more day of rest than Lyon. However, Lyon performed a lot better in the second leg of their tie against Brondby and managed to rest several of its players such as Ellie Carpenter and Eugénie Le Sommer, who did not play at all, plus Delphine Cascarino who played only the first half and Amandine Henry who played only 15 minutes. This decider will be very interesting.

Jenna McCormick – Choosing To Challenge

Melbourne City and Australian international Jenna McCormick is one of Australia’s finest female athletes. She is a true example of someone who did #ChooseToChallenge, the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day. Jenna won Australian Rules Football grand finals in front of huge crowds whilst also playing in the W-League and since switching full-time to football has become a Matilda and one of the country’s best defenders. For our #MidweekDub series, Ben Gilby spoke to Jenna about her incredible career in sport, a tough time in Spain and a big three years for the women’s game in Australia.

**Above:** Jenna McCormick in her Australia international kit. **Photo:** Glam Adelaide.

Jenna McCormick is one of those sports stars that you just have to afford huge respect to and say “wow”. Winning two Australian Rules Football Grand Finals with Adelaide Crows in three years in front of huge crowds as well as playing W-League football is amazing in itself. Then, moving solely to a football career and playing for your country with a home World Cup also on the horizon is something else.

I began by asking Jenna about her time playing both sports to a high level and what it was like as an athlete: “Being at Adelaide Crows was great for my AFL (Aussie Rules) as I only ever had short period of time with them after W-League seasons to touch up my craft to be able to play the games of the season. So, their support and time spent in developing my AFL skills was crucial to my AFL success.”

“I was lucky that the seasons only over lapped by a week in my three years doing both. I missed (AFL) pre-season every year as this was when the W-League was still on. The AFL semi-finals I played in all those three years was on the same weekend as the W-League’s Round one so I always missed that first game of the soccer season and turned around the following couple of days, would move home and then be kicking a different shaped ball the following weekend!”

Jenna’s time playing AFL for Adelaide Crows was hugely successful with the competition pulling in big crowds. “The 2017 Grand Final was special in its own right, as it was the AFL’s very first women’s season where history was being made every single day during that season. So, to come out premiers at the end of the season really was special, knowing we were in the history books forever. 2019 was different, and in my opinion – better. We had played in our first semi-final to get there which to me meant the Grand Final meant we deserved to be there and earned our spot. Another history making game saw that Grand Final being the first one at Adelaide Oval and at the time, it was the biggest attendance for a stand-alone female sport match – 53,000+ people. To describe the feeling playing in front of that many people and winning, I can’t find the words. I know it’s cliché to say, and I have other experiences I say the same about, but it’s a day I will never forget.

**Above:** Jenna celebrating a goal for Adelaide Crows in the AFLW (Australian Rules Football). Photo: The Advertiser.

At the end of that 2019 season, Jenna made the decision to focus solely on football. Whilst AFL is the sport with the biggest spectator numbers in Australia, it is football that offers the real international opportunities: “The main reason I stepped away from AFL was be to able to represent Australia playing football, to go to World Cups and Olympic Games and continue my career in Europe. I never really had such clear precise visions and goals, but after arguably my best season with Brisbane Roar in 2019, I had this strong desire and urge and most importantly belief to play football at international level and represent my country. It was the first time I really actually believed I could compete and do well at that level. So that in turn assisted my decision to step away from AFL and achieve those goals.”

It didn’t take long for Jenna’s full time switch to the round ball game to result in an international call up for the Matildas and she made her debut in November 2019 against Chile. Prior to the kick off, a hugely symbolic photo was taken of Jenna during the national anthem – one of the most powerful pictures in women’s sport.

“It’s another day I’ll certainly never forget. There aren’t many of those days, so this one was for obvious reasons, very important to me. The photo encapsulates so much of the day and what it meant to me. In that moment, I was trying to calm my nerves and sing the national anthem with so much pride knowing that being able to finally sing it was a representation of my journey to that exact moment in time. All the sacrifices my parents and siblings made for me to play sport, and the sacrifices, blood, sweat and tears I had made to get myself to that point, and the pure gratefulness of being blessed with the life I have to represent my country playing football.”

**Above:** One of the most iconic Matildas photos of recent times – Jenna during ‘Advance Australia Fair’ on her Matildas debut. **Photo** **via:** @jen_mccormick

There is also something about the Matildas that makes them such a special team. Football is way down the pecking order when it comes to media attention in Australia with Aussie Rules, Rugby League, Cricket and Rugby Union claiming the column inches, but the women’s national side have captured the nation in a way that very few teams in any sport have anywhere. Their openness and active communication with supporters and their incredible stories all contribute to the esteem in which they are held. The extent of this connection with the Australian public is not really appreciated here in England. I asked Jenna if she could try and put her finger on why this was:

“This is probably a tricky one to sum up, but I’ll give it a go. The Matildas have captured the nation’s sporting hearts over the last five to ten years with outstanding players coming through the ranks and the team putting in some terrific performances over top-quality opponents. When you watch the Matildas play you see so much heart and the ‘never say die’ attitude that has stuck with the team for a long time now. Since The Matildas put their name on the country’s sporting map, we’ve seen a huge rise in participation in girl’s football which has then in turn led to this amazing group of women inspiring the entirety of that next generation young footballers which we just absolutely love to see and I personally just love to be a part of.”

The Matildas are going into a massive three year period with the Olympic Games, the Asian Championships and a home World Cup. The period has started with the appointment of Tony Gustavsson as head coach.

“I was thrilled to see the announcement of Tony in the new Head Coach role. I knew a little bit about Tony’s success with the US Women’s National Team and got into some of my own research about his career and what he has achieved so far to which I was impressed! It was great to finally get to chat with him over Zoom a couple of months ago to get to know him a bit better and ask some burning questions I had on my mind and I left the meeting so inspired and so excited for what can be achieved with The Matildas and I think everyone should be excited knowing he will take the team to another level.”

The current period up until 2023 is unquestionably the biggest in the history of Australian women’s football, but it is one that has been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic: “Yeah, definitely a huge three years, but at this point it looks like it still could be a complicated few years with coronavirus still lingering, but the most important thing for the group is to get the connections back and get into camp as much as we can to build and develop as a group. We haven’t been able to do so during the last twelve months because of the situation of the world and so we have missed out on quite a bit of valuable time together. So, we are hoping in the near future we can resume some national team camp normality.”

**Above:** Jenna with her home state Adelaide United shirt. **Photo:** W Sports and Media.

We now turned our attention to club football. Jenna’s time in the W-League has seen her play for home state side Adelaide United plus Brisbane Roar, Canberra United, Melbourne Victory and now Melbourne City. Jenna additionally spent time in Scandinavia with Stjarnan and Medkila. I wondered how her experiences at those clubs compared: “Haha, it sounds like a lot of teams hearing you say that! Really when I look back, the teams I’ve played for have been the stepping stones I’ve needed at the time. Every experience gave me what I needed to get at that present moment, and I only know that looking back now. I’ve always been one to walk through doors – take opportunities – when they present themselves and I believe that has really shaped the person I have become today and taught me valuable lessons on and off the pitch.”

After the 2019/20 W-League season, Jenna was given the opportunity to move to Spain and play for Real Betis. An overseas move is tough enough at the best of times, but in the middle of a global pandemic, even harder.

“My time in Seville was shorter than expected and a lot more difficult than expected. I had numerous challenges that I faced head on as I normally do, however some barriers were too thick to knock down and I found myself with a decision to make with regards to what’s best for me moving forward into 2021 with the Olympics and that was for me to return home to Australia and find my confidence and mental well-being again by playing games and being at a club that I knew was going to support and nurture me.”

That club was Melbourne City, the reigning W-League champions and Jenna joined them just before the start of the current campaign. Things at the club have been difficult as they lost so many of last season’s key players to FAWSL clubs in England and it’s been a transitional time for the Sky Blues.

“Oh look it obviously hasn’t been great nor the success we would’ve liked but we all knew coming into this season it would be a very different looking Melbourne City that we are used to seeing dominate the league. The team saw ten of its eleven starters in the Grand Final and I think only retained three of its total squad. So obviously that’s a huge cut in experience and talent and a lot of new and younger girls coming in. It’s taken us time to really improve at training too which I see in parts of our game but not consistently enough for the success we would have liked up until this point.”

**Above:** Jenna tussles with Western Sydney Wanderers’ Bryleeh Henry in a recent W-League clash. **Photo:** Kris Goman.

It is not just Melbourne City that have been impacted by the loss of international players overseas. The whole competition itself has a very different look to it this season, as Jenna highlights.

“I’m absolutely loving seeing some of our up and coming Aussie talent get good game time and a chance to play at this level. The future of the league only has one direction and that should be to make it a full year long season. That really should be the priority. Having a longer season brings a little more security to players knowing their movements for the next year, we can also start signing longer term contracts and it should also start attracting more foreign talent to the league. This also would allow Australian players to stay and compete in this great country and not be exposed to some of the average conditions that are on display in Europe that are most of the time masked by the “big lights” going overseas.”

Jenna’s last comments are hugely important – the grass is not always greener in Europe. The W-League this season has been an absolute joy to watch simply because of the incredible young talent on display. With experienced and inspirational characters such as Jenna McCormick behind these talented teenagers, the competition is going to blossom further.

Jenna’s story and achievements are worthy of celebration – she is an incredible sportsperson and someone who should be the role model of any youngster – girl or boy.