Not many players can come into the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s competition and make a statement like Kelli Brown has in her first season in Australia with the Macarthur Rams.
Born in Hamilton, New Zealand, the Rams have arguably made the signing of the 2023 season with Brown already scoring 11 goals in the league and seven in the Sapphire Cup, a phenomenal return so far.
The prolific striker has a bronze medal at the Women’s Under-17 World Cup in Uruguay where New Zealand beat Canada in the Third Place Playoff.
So how did Kelli Brown end up at Lynwood Park?
“I wanted to find bigger and better opportunities for my football career and try and work my way back to professional football,” Brown said.
“Unfortunately, that wasn’t something I felt I could do staying in New Zealand.
“My agent Calvin Lee (Lee Fratelli) contacted me after watching some of my games in the NZ National League and asked if I was keen to work with him to further my career.
“We talked a bit about the NPL NSW Women’s competition and what that might look like for me and I left it with him to see what opportunities he could find.”
“After a couple weeks he got back to me and said he had a contract with the Champions, how good.”
Brown has set herself a number of targets for this season to earn an A-League Women’s contract.
“My goal with the Rams is to work hard and try to create a name for myself within the NPL to help continue to grow my career,” said Brown.
“I want to try and get back in to the A-League and continue to push myself into professional environments.
“The Rams are providing such a positive opportunity for me to get back into playing football at a high level where I am continuously pushed to be better in the best ways possible.
“Most of all I want to continue to love what I do and play the game that surrounds me with some of the best people you can meet.”
Having been a Rams player now for a number of months, Brown has only words of praise for the atmosphere around Lynwood Park.
“It’s so fun and everyone at the club has been super accommodating,” said Brown.
“The environment creates a good level of competitiveness and drive but at the same time having fun and loving what you do.
“Honestly what a place, 10/10, would recommend.”
In terms of this campaign with the Rams, the striker wants glory for her and her teammates.
“Back-to-back champions feels like a vibe,” Brown said.
“This team has so much talent across the field and I think there is plenty to be excited about watching the Macarthur Rams this season.”
By – Nikola Pozder