Former Football NSW Institute and Northern Tigers young gun defender Greta Kraszula will call Richmond Virginia home as the 19-year-old recently scored herself an exciting 4-year scholarship at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Coming through the player development system in NSW and gaining valuable experience in the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s top tier competition, Kraszula won her scholarship thanks to the assistance of her school Loreto Normanhurst as well as the Player Pathway USA process.

“I had heard about student/athletes pursuing their goals in the U.S. and was always encouraged through my high-school Loreto Normanhurst to balance football and education. This led to starting my recruitment process with Player Pathway USA. They were unbelievable in supporting and guiding me through the process, which predominantly was through contacting coaches with game footage and academic transcripts.

“This ultimately resulted in a 4-year scholarship at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), in Richmond Virginia.

“I chose VCU as it opened up the opportunity to pursue both academics and football in a competitive environment and at the highest level in the NCAA Division 1.

“I am very excited to begin my journey at VCU. I believe it’s so important to be pushed out of your comfort zone, and I am confident this experience will allow me to grow as a person and player.”

With the world coping with COVID, Kraszula eventually made her way to the States following various strict protocols before kicking off pre-season with her new club on Monday.

“In terms of travel to the U.S. after receiving my travel exemption, vaccination and COVID test, I was allowed to leave for the pursuit of study with a student visa. Masks were mandatory on all flights, and after arriving the restrictions are limited if you have been vaccinated.

“Pre-season officially kicked off on Monday, with classes commencing on the 24th.

“Currently, I am one of five internationals in the VCU Women’s Soccer squad and I am amazed at the facilities and resources available to student-athletes.

“Competing in the Atlantic 10 Conference, our first official game is on August 19th against James Madison University.”

Coming through the ranks in Sydney, Kraszula enjoyed her time coming through the ranks, highlighting her selection into last year’s inaugural NSW Senior State Team squad that took part in the 2020 State Of Origin clash against Queensland as a major achievement amongst many others.

“My time at the Football NSW Institute was invaluable as I was exposed to many opportunities to develop as a player, through various NTC tournaments and Future Matildas trainings. The constant challenge each week of coming up against older and more experienced players definitely pushed my player development.

“Transitioning to the Northern Tigers in First Grade was seamless and formed some of my most enjoyable football memories.

“The Northern Tigers team culture is hardworking, supportive, and positive and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of the team. I am hoping that they can get back on the pitch soon and take out the 2021 Premiership.

“I was also very grateful for the opportunity to play defensive midfielder for NSW last year in the state squad, and to play alongside some of the best NPL players and coaches in NSW. It definitely showed the incredible amount of depth in Australian women’s football and I look forward to this state rivalry becoming a regular event on the football calendar.”

Ear marked as a future Matildas star, the former Institute skipper and Futsal star, like many of us, has been watching the progress of our Women’s team doing the nation proud at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Now based in the States and with the Bronze medal match scheduled for Thursday, Kraszula is hoping that the Matildas can spring the major upset to ignite the banter with her new U.S. teammates.

“It has been inspiring to watch the Matildas in the Olympics and to see the growing support for female football in Australia has been fantastic.

“I can’t wait for the Matildas to take on the U.S. – a win and bronze medal will definitely mean bragging rights with my new team.”

Greta joins a long list of young promising Australian female footballers hoping to further their careers abroad, flying the Aussie flag proudly as well as promoting what fantastic talent NSW has to the rest of the world.

In what has been a stunning season for Northern Tigers, much has to be said about goal ridden forward Lauren Allan in a side ready to pounce post-lockdown.

After finishing last years’ campaign in fourth spot, the air around Northern Tigers in the NPL NSW Women’s competition was one of a team hungry for more.

And with the addition of fresh faces into an already tight knit side, head coach Jason Eagar has well and truly seen his side develop.

It takes one look at the table to suggest that.

Sitting in second and just three points off first, Lauran Allan still believes the team has more to give.

“We’ve had a great season so far.

“We’re a close squad that’s welcomed new faces this year. Faces that have helped us be stronger on the field. It’s been a real shame that the lockdown has come when it has because I really felt like we were getting on a roll.”

With seven goals so far this season, Allan sits second in the race for the golden boot.

If her stellar form was to continue after the hopeful end of the enforced lockdown, it would be fair to assume that it would go a long way to seeing her side come out on top at seasons’ end.

“I’ve been pleased with my performances. I’m scoring more which is great. To be scoring in such a competitive league has given me a lot of confidence.”

For Allan, hailing from Newcastle, making the move into the NPL NSW Women’s competition has been nothing but positive for the ambitious footballer.

Having already spent time playing within the United State College system and with the Newcastle Jets in the Westfield W-League, she believes that the competition she comes up against each week makes the jump into professional competition easier.

“Moving to the NPL NSW Women’s competition last year I definitely struggled with the physicality early on. So many girls playing in the W-League are playing in this league so it really helped me develop.

“The quality is high and you get a really good chance at getting to know the players you’re up against.”

Living in Newcastle, Allan rued the lockdown but stated she’s been fortunate to not be under restrictions as tough as the ones those face in Sydney.

“As soon as the lockdown was announced, Jason (Head Coach) reached out to us with training programs that we could use which have been really helpful. I’m lucky to be up here, I can still go and train with players and get a touch on the ball.

“I really hope it all ends sooner rather than later. Like I said, we have more to give this year so if the season resumes we’ll be eager to maintain the great performances and push on for that top spot.

“Personally, I just want to keep scoring as much as I can to help the team. Golden Boot would be great but the aim is definitely to find the back of the net as much as I can.”

-By Joseph Esposito 

It was a different kind of football pitch for Northern Tigers’ talented young footballer Shadeene Evans who last week took part in Australian Fashion Week for the First Nations Fashion plus Design show at Carriageworks.

The proud Indigenous football star swapped the boots for the heels as the Borroloola born star stole the headlines for a lightning display.

The 19-year-old Young Matilda, who first fell in love with the world game as a nine-year-old, is also in the midst of working through a degree in Social Work at the University of NSW.

Making her W-League debut with Sydney FC and being spotted via the famous John Moriarty Football program, Evans has been a smash hit with the Tigers in this year’s 2021 National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s campaign.

Ten games in and four goals to her name, the proud Marra superstar and 2020 Rebel Role Model, is hoping to lift some silverware with her team currently sitting in second spot on the ladder.

One things for sure, we haven’t seen the last of Evans on the runway either so expect to see more of Shadeene Evans both on the pitch and in the spotlight!

Shine bright Shadeene.

The 2019 NPL NSW Women’s season was an incredible year for the Northern Tigers and their vocal crowd at North Turramurra will be hoping for them to go that one step further this season.

A strong defence and effective football had the Tigers finish in third place after 22 rounds and even earned themselves a grand final spot where they pushed Sydney University to their absolute limits, falling just short.

The Tigers success didn’t go unnoticed with their mentor Jason Eagar picking up the coach of the year award.

Eagar’s team won’t be the underdog in 2020 and will now be looked upon as one of the favourites in the competition. This means there is an expectation for the Tigers in the upcoming season and their coach knows what they need to do.

“We have to build on 2019.

The growth of the players was immense last season and the challenge is to step it up again in 2020.”

The culture at the Tigers is a special one and this we can gather from their famous Instagram account with Maddie Bart one of the lead characters.

“The group is tight and enjoying their football.

They will compete for each other until the last minute of every game and when you have that, anything is possible.”

Eagar believes his team has various strengths that will help them take that ‘next step’.

“Unity, stability in the player roster, squad depth that will drive competition for starting places, balance of experience and youth, addition of key players in critical areas and of course, belief.”

Like most teams competing in the NPL NSW Women’s competition, the pre-season has been disrupted but it won’t deter the Tigers in round one when they travel to JJ Kelly Park to take on the Illawarra Stingrays.

Major Signings: Claire Coelho, Lauren Allan, Greta Kraszula, Beth Bernardi (promoted), Zoe Halpin, Minori Ono

Major Departures: Eliza Campbell, Emma Smith, Aimee Phillips

Up and Coming Star: Saba Murray

Player to Watch: Malia Steinmetz

After a tough 2018 NPL NSW Women’s season, the ambitious Northern Tigers have been one of the standout teams in 2019 and one person that deserves much of the praise is club top scorer Daisy Arrowsmith.

Arrowsmith made the short move from local rivals the North Shore Mariners this year and she hasn’t looked back since, scoring 18 goals in the regular season, as well as adding another during the finals series.

Making the grand final has shown the massive strides Jason Eagar’s team have made in 2019 and the Tigers goal poacher says her and her teammates can’t wait for Sunday afternoon.

“As one of the first ever Northern Tigers teams to make the grand final in top tier NPL Women’s league, along with the u17s, it’s an unbelievable feeling, everyone is really excited.”

The striker has become one of the leaders of this team with her goal scoring prowess but she believes all this has been down to the team’s spirit.

“Being so close, we are all continually pushing and inspiring each other to be better.

“Everyone is a leader in their own way and we all have something different to offer.”

Having the likes of former Matildas Servet Uzunlar, Ellie Brush and Eliza Campbell in the team, the experience they offer is second to none.

Arrowsmith acknowledges this and the important role they play at the club.

“It’s extremely important to have the likes of Eliza, Servet and also Ellie Brush, who have all played at a very high level, commanding the team from the back.

“Their knowledge, leadership and skill is invaluable to have.”

A major factor and recipe to the Tigers success is the culture and togetherness at the club, in particular between the men’s and women’s teams.

The Tigers men’s team could be heard loud and proud at Arlington Oval a few weeks back, creating songs and chants for all players.

Arrowsmith hopes the self proclaimed ‘Kop’ will be in full voice on ‘Super Sunday’ at Valentine Sports Park.

“The Tigers men’s team have been fantastic with their support throughout the season and finals series, as have all the girl’s teams.

“The boys have created chants for our team which everyone at the club now knows.

“I’m sure everyone will be at VSP on Sunday chanting and cheering us on.”

As for the club culture, the Tigers looked to attract players that were able to fit in what the club believes in.

“The club culture at Tigers is that of a family and encourages values such as strong teamwork, hard work and effort with a positive mentality. This culture attracts certain types of players and I believe this is another reason why our team is so close knit.”

The Tigers haven’t been able to beat their grand final opponents Sydney University this season in three attempts but Arrowsmith believes in her teams abilities.

“Sydney Uni are obviously a very dangerous and strong team, with talent all over the park. They’ve had a fantastic season so far, but I back ourselves to get the job done on Sunday.”

Match Details

Sunday 1st September 2019

Sydney University v Northern Tigers

5:45pm – Valentine Sports Park #2

By – Nikola Pozder, NPL NSW Women’s Writer

Football NSW would like to thank the following organisations for their ongoing support of Football in NSW; TAFE NSW, Wholesale Trophies and the Official Ball Sponsor for the 2019 NPL NSW Competitions, MITRE.