The Central Coast Mariners today confirmed the nineteen squad members that will spearhead the clubs inaugural Westfield W-League campaign, which will see the Mariners first represented in Australia’s new elite football competition for women at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome on Saturday, 25 October.
The Central Coast Mariners today confirmed the nineteen squad members that will spearhead the clubs inaugural Westfield W-League campaign, which will see the Mariners first represented in Australia-s new elite football competition for women at Melbourne-s Telstra Dome on Saturday, 25 October.
Head Coach Stephen Roche, who was appointed in early September, has assembled a competitive squad that will expand upon the Mariners brand beyond the boundaries of Central Coast by showcasing some of the country-s finest women-s footballers over the course of Australia-s exciting new top-flight football competition.
The Mariners- five Westfield W-League home matches will be split between Parramatta Stadium and Campbelltown Stadium in western Sydney, many of which will be played back-to-back with fixtures involving southern rivals Sydney FC.
The Mariners team, which is funded and operated by Football NSW, will train at the Football NSW headquarters at Valentine throughout the ten-round campaign and Finals Series, which will conclude in mid-January 2009.
“We-re very excited by this new era for women-s football in Australia and applaud Stephen Roche and his team for assembling a very impressive squad that we-re confident will represent the Mariners with distinction throughout the inaugural Westfield W-League season,” said Mariners Executive Chairman Lyall Gorman.
“The Westfield W-League is a very unique situation for us in that due to the competition being largely funded and operated by the state associations, we will be training and playing away from the Central Coast, which in itself is an exciting opportunity for us to expand upon the Mariners brand beyond the Central Coast.
“The growth that women-s football has enjoyed in recent years is simply staggering and we-re delighted to be involved in the Westfield W-League and contributing to the fastest growing sport in Australia.”
Headlining the Mariners- line up are current Qantas Matildas Lyndsay Glohe and Renee Rollason – both of whom are with the Australian senior national team in Thailand at present for the ASEAN Women-s Football Championships.
Exciting 17-year-old striker Kyah Simon, the namesake of current Mariners Hyundai A-League sharpshooter Matt Simon, is likely to lead the line in the Westfield W-League for the Mariners, having impressed at restricted age and senior international levels of late.
Defender Caitlin Cooper is another emerging talent on the radar of the Qantas Matildas, having been a cornerstone member of the Qantas Young Matildas in recent years, while fellow defender Ellyse Perry is one of the country-s brightest prospects at not only football, but also cricket, having represented Australia in both sports by the age of 16.
The Mariners- Westfield W-League team are in training at present – looking ahead to their historic opening fixture away to the Melbourne Victory on Saturday, 25 October, which is a curtain raiser to the Victory-s Hyundai A-League blockbuster against Sydney FC at the Telstra Dome later that evening.
“I-m very happy with the squad that we-ve been able to put together and I have no doubts that we-ll be very competitive throughout the season,” said Roche.
“We-ve managed to recruit a sound mix of youth and experience and I-m certain that some exciting football talents will emerge from our playing ranks in the not too distant future, which is of course one of the primary focuses of this exciting new Westfield W-League.
“We-ve been hard at work in training for several weeks now and we-re well and truly counting the days until our first match in Mariners colours, which is a most exciting prospect for myself and every member of our playing squad.”
Central Coast Mariners Westfield W-League squad
Name, Position, Date of Birth
Jodie Bain, Defender, 12 November 1983
Trudy Camilleri, Midfielder, 16 September 1991
Caitlin Cooper, Defender, 12 February 1988
Emma-Kate Dewhurst, Goalkeeper, 31 October 1981
Rachael Doyle, Defender, 26 October 1989
Gillian Foster, Midfielder, 28 August 1976
Lyndsay Glohe, Defender, 5 July 1988
Stephanie Haim, Striker, 24 June 1991
Lisa Hartly, Goalkeeper, 6 October 1984
Elizabeth O’Reilly, Midfielder, 5 January 1992
Ellyse Perry, Defender, 3 November 1990
Teresa Polias, Midfielder, 16 May 1990
Kathryn Pryer, Defender, 17 July 1990
Taryn Rockall, Midfielder, 11 November 1977
Renee Rollason, Midfielder, 22 September 1989
Karina Roweth, Midfielder, 15 June 1990
Britt Simmons, Midfielder, 10 April 1990
Kyah Simon, Striker, 25 June 1991
Emma Stewart, Striker, 3 January 1992
The Mariners- Westfield W-League campaign begins on Saturday, 25 October, when the Mariners take on the Melbourne Victory at the Telstra Dome. Kick off is at 4pm.
The Mariners- first Westfield W-League home match will take place on Saturday, 1 November at Parramatta Stadium when the Mariners take on the Perth Glory in the second fixture of a double-header that will also involve Sydney FC and the Melbourne Victory. Kick off is at 6pm.
