Round 1 Preview – NPL NSW Women’s
Some teams hadn’t even kicked off their 2020 campaigns before they came to a premature halt.
Take two and we’re finally ready to go, after months of waiting, kicking toilet paper rolls inside their houses, it’s time to put the boots back on and go kick some goals.
In between this pandemic, whose name we will not mention, Australia and New Zealand won the right to host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a momentous moment for the world game in our country and female sport holistically.
Back on our local pitches, an 11-week sprint to the finals lies ahead for 12 teams, vying to finish 2020 in the best possible way after what’s been a season to forget.
The Blacktown Spartans who recruited well for the 2020 season with the highest of ambitions will host the NWS Koalas at Blacktown Football Park on Sunday at 3pm.
Stephen Peters will have expectations from his Spartans to go all the way and take all silverware on offer for 2020.
At Cromer Park also at 3pm, Manly United play host to the FNSW Institute.
Manly had a flying start to 2020 before the competition interruption and will look to quickly restart where they were and in the form they were in.
Sydney Olympic restarts their campaign up the coast at the the Emerging Jets.
Olympic are another of the contenders, also recruiting well and will definitely expect to be challenging for top honours for this season.
Two powerhouses of women’s football open their new 2020 campaigns at Sydney University Football Ground as Sydney University host the Macarthur Rams.
The Rams didn’t have the best of 2019’s and will use 2020 as an opportunity to build toward 2021, while Alex Epakis’ team, last year’s Champions, will expect to retain their crown this year.
Northern Tigers return to North Turramurra as they host Bankstown City.
The surprise packets of 2019 will look to go a step further in 2020 and under the watchful eye of Jason Eager, anything is possible for the talented squad.
Bankstown have some work to do following 2019 and the way they began 2020 but if anyone could’ve used the break to reassess and prepare, it would be Danny Abboud who definitely has a few aces up his sleeve.
Round one finishes up at Lambert Park as the new girls on the block APIA Leichhardt get to kick their first ball in the NPL 1 competition as they face off with the Illawarra Stingrays.
The match of the round promises fireworks with experienced and talented footballers all over the park.
By – Nikola Pozder
