Isabella Coco-Di Sipio’s passion for football is driving her to some incredible performances for the Bulls FC Academy and has also inspired her to give back to the football community.
The 22-year-old previously coached for her local club Strathfield Strikers FC, playing out at Football Canterbury, and worked with autistic children to give them a love for the world game.
“It was a while ago but I used to during spare time just coach at my local football club and I was very fortunate to work with a few kids who did have disabilities.
“I think at a young age dealing with that, you kind of appreciate it a bit more, how lucky we are to have football.”
The experience was very special for Coco-Di Sipio and has helped her a lot in her own football career.
“I think it makes you a lot more patient than you’d imagine yourself to be.
“You need to find alternative routes to navigate your way through a situation and I think that’s very applicable to football because you can go in with the game plan, but if something happens or a different situation occurs you’ve got to adapt to it”
She also credited this passion for motivating her to overcome the several significant injuries she has had in her career, breaking several bones in her foot twice and tearing ligaments in her ankle.
“Whatever it may be, if you have the desire and passion to make it to the next level, something like that [a serious injury] is just a little hurdle that you’re going to overcome, and for me that was the mindset.
“Unfortunately, it did happen multiple times for me but I still believe that I’ve got the capability to make it to that next level and I’m not going to let an injury stop me from getting there.”
Coco-Di Sipio has been a star for the NPL Women’s NSW competition for several years, first with Bankstown City FC before moving to APIA Leichhardt.
“I was fortunate enough to crack first grade at Bankstown when I was fifteen, unfortunately through injuries it was cut short.
“APIA and I, we had a good couple of years together, won a few trophies and silverware but I think it was time to challenge myself in a new environment.”
The move to Bulls FC Academy was the perfect mix of a strong team but also a situation that would help challenge Coco-Di Sipio’s development as a player.
“It’s definitely good to get full games under my belt, I was probably missing out on that at APIA.
“It’s been good the first five games I’ve played, I feel like I’m every game getting better and gelling more with the team because it’s obviously hard to adapt to new players, new environment and how the style of play is at a different club.”
She has certainly settled in well, making the league’s team of the week for round 4 after a particularly strong performance.
The next goal for Coco-Di Sipio is to make the move to a professional club.
“I’m definitely eyeing up a move into the A-League Women’s competition or hopefully to sign somewhere professionally overseas.”
She believes the competitiveness of the NPL means that players can be ready when a professional opportunity comes knocking.
“You obviously have the girls who finish the A-League season coming back, and I know when I was at APIA, when girls would come back, it’d be like alright, now I need to fight for my position.
“It’s that competitiveness of I’m not losing out my spot for you.
“I think that’s what gets people most ready for a move to the next level is that you’re already dealing with players of that calibre and you get to push yourself at training and games against those players.”
This passion and determination has already brought Isabella Coco-Di Sipio so far in her career, and she has proven her ability to overcome hardship whilst working to inspire the next generation through her community work.
-By Annabelle Banfield