Women's A-League challenge kicks off next week

Fantastic to see the FFA moving quickly to provide the major Women players in the country the opportunity to play in high profile games in major stadiums.

And of course it leads in nicely to next years Women's National League.

Great stuff/

AUSSIE WOMEN’S WORLD CUP STARS TO FEATURE IN WOMEN’S A-LEAGUE CHALLENGE



The stars of Australia’s recent successful FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign will feature in the upcoming Women’s A-League Challenge that will see Australia’s finest female football talent pitted against one another prior to Hyundai A-League matches.

Australian national team players such as captain Cheryl Salisbury, striker Lisa De Vanna and midfielders Collette McCallum and Heather Garriock will represent teams known as Newcastle Jets Women, Queensland Roar Women and Sydney FC Women.

The three match series will commence at EnergyAustralia Stadium in Newcastle on Sunday 25 November with Newcastle Jets Women hosting Sydney FC Women prior to the Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners Hyundai A-League match.

Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium will host Queensland Roar Women v Newcastle Jets Women on Sunday 9 December ahead of the Queensland Roar and Central Coast Mariners fixture.

The final match of the series will take place at the Sydney Football Stadium with Sydney FC Women facing Queensland Roar Women prior to the Perth Glory and Sydney FC match.

The squads will be primarily based on players featuring in the respective State Institute programs. Australian World Cup stars from other cities such as Melbourne’s Melissa Barbieri and Perth duo Collette McCallum and Lisa De Vanna will guest for one of the three participating teams.

“These matches present a tremendous opportunity for Hyundai A-League fans to see our top female players in action following their outstanding exploits at the World Cup,” said Football Federation Australia Chief Executive Officer Ben Buckley.

“The FFA is committed to establishing an enduring and sustainable format of domestic competition for women in Australia, and these matches will provide a small test event as we look towards building the best possible model for our elite female players.”

Australia recent quarter final appearance at September’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in China was the nation’s most successful appearance in a major tournament with the team finishing sixth in reaching the quarter finals after being knocked out by eventual runners-up Brazil. Following the tournament Australia moved to an all-time high of 12 in the FIFA Women's World Rankings.

The Australian team received wide acclaim for their performance in China and coach Tom Sermanni was last week named Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Coach of the Year, while midfielder Collette McCallum finished third in the AFC Women’s Player of the Year award. Following the World Cup Australian striker Lisa De Vanna was named in the FIFA All-Star team and has also been short-listed for the FIFA World Women’s Player of the Year.

“The players at the World Cup performed magnificently and this will provide a fairly rare opportunity for the players to appear on home soil and I know it is an event they are greatly looking forward to,” said Australian coach Tom Sermanni.

“It will also be a great opportunity for the players in the State Institute programs to test themselves in a competitive environment against the nation’s best and I’m sure all the matches will prove to be entertaining and high quality contests.”


Women’s A-League Challenge

Sunday 25 November, 2.25pm
Newcastle Jets Women v Sydney FC Women
(Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners, 5pm)
EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle

Sunday 9 December, 3.25pm
Queensland Roar Women v Newcastle Jets Women
(Queensland Roar v Central Coast Mariners, 6pm)
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Saturday 15 December, 4.25pm
Sydney FC Women v Queensland Roar Women
(Sydney FC v Perth Glory, 7pm)
Sydney Football Stadium