The Central Coast Mariners are extremely pleased to announce the signing of American forward Rola Badawiya for the upcoming Liberty A-League Women’s campaign.
The forward joins the club from Sydney FC, having won the Premiership and Championship double last season with the squad.
Before moving to Australia, Badawiya started her career in the American College system. She played with California Baptist University, before getting a chance to ply her trade with AS Roma in Italy’s Serie B.
It was after this that the forward moved to Australia, linking up with Sydney University in the NSW Women’s NPL competition.
Coached by her new A-League Women’s Head Coach Emily Husband, she finished the season with 13 goals and was awarded the competitions Player of the Season.
This form saw Sydney FC reward Badawiya with her first A-League women’s contract, where she featured in their team that won the double.
She played seven matches during the back half of the season, scoring once and appearing off the bench in the Liberty A-League Grand Final.
Since the completion of the competition, Badawiya has been playing in NSW NPL Women’s First Grade for NWS Spirit FC, scoring three goals so far.
Central Coast Mariners Head Coach Emily Husband is excited to have the American onboard for the upcoming campaign, having seen her top-class abilities firsthand over the past few seasons.
“I am super excited to have Rola joining the Mariners this season. She had an unbelievable campaign with Sydney University last season, picking up 13 goals while also winning the NPL Player of the Season award. To have a striker who has incredible ability off both feet is fantastic,” Husband said.
“She will bring a winning mentality to the group which will be really important for us as a squad. She will be a leader in training and games for us coming into our first season together and will be an incredibly important part of our squad for this upcoming campaign.”
Badawiya is thrilled to be signing with the Central Coast Mariners, eager to get started ahead of the upcoming season.
“I am very excited to be joining the Mariners and being a part of this first season back in the A-League Women’s competition. I can’t wait to be a part of this great club and play under coach Emily,” Badawiya said.
“I’ll bring leadership to the team and I have experience from playing overseas. I can’t wait to get onto Industree Group Stadium, with the palm trees, the water and the incredible pitch. It is going to be awesome to just get started!”
