Menu
Menu

Women's National Premier League NSW

Home of the Women's National Premier League NSW

Bulls FC Academy Gladesville Ravens

Spencer Prior and APIA Leichhardt FC part ways

By

National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s side APIA Leichhardt FC will kick off the 2024 season with a new manager in charge following the departure of coach Spencer Prior.

Prior spent three seasons at Lambert Park with 2023 being the most successful following the club’s first ever NPL NSW Women’s Premiership and inaugural Sapphire Cup achievement.

Both APIA and Prior mutually agreed on the decision with the prospect of returning to the club in the near future.

“I would like to thank Matteo, Alex, and the Board for their continued support over the past 3 years,” Prior stated in the official APIA Leichhardt press release.

“Having played a small part in seeing APIA become the best NPL women’s club in the Country, it’s been a privilege to lead our players development.

“With an outstanding SAP and Youth program, I’m sure we will see many more from APIA go on and become established A-League women’s players.

“I would like to close by thanking all the players for their effort and dedication to the club. You have embraced the Club culture and inspired the next generation.”

APIA Leichhardt FC General Manager Matteo Maiorana praised Prior’s time with the club.

“Spencer came in 3 years ago to help nurture our program and continue to build on the culture that has made the club so successful.

“Coaching at APIA is not easy, as there are always high expectations and Spencer met those expectations which culminated in the incredible success of 2023.”

The club will announce Prior’s successor shortly.

 

De Domizio credits NPL NSW Women’s competition for A-League Women’s opportunity

By

Promising attacking star Kiara De Domizio has praised the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s competition as the stepping-stone towards nailing an A-League Women’s contract with Western United thanks to a solid season at Sydney Olympic.

“The NPL NSW Women’s competition is undoubtedly one of the most competitive and highly ranked competitions across Australia,” De Domizio stated to Football NSW.

“The platform that it provides for players wishing to make it A-League Women’s is very important.

“I believe that the league has seen continuous growth in quality and the calibre of players year on year.

“This has been vital in helping me develop as a footballer.

“It is also fantastic to see improvements in facilities for NPL NSW Womens teams, the media and NPL TV, which all provided a supportive environment for female footballers to thrive.”

Having debuted with Sydney Olympic as a 17-year-old, De Domizio was part of the NPL NSW Women’s setup as a 13-year-old.

Throughout her years, the ambition of playing in Australia’s top tier Women’s competition was always high on the talented attacker’s radar and her dream was realised when Western United came knocking on the door for the 2023/24 A-League Women’s season.

“Initially, I was in contact with a few A-League Women’s clubs, before spending the first 2 weeks pre-season at WSW.

“In the midst of this, Western United FC Head Coach Mark Torcaso reached out and offered me to come down to Melbourne for a week to train/trial and I was up for the challenge.

“After a few training sessions and a pre-season trial game, I was beyond grateful to be offered a contract.

“This led to me relocating from Sydney.”

It was great way to end what was a tough season De Domizio endured at Sydney Olympic as the club missed out on playing finals football.

“As a team, I feel it was difficult for us to achieve consistency throughout the year, compared to previous seasons,” De Domizio stated.

“This can be attributed to a range of factors such as player rotations and injuries.

“However, there were some great moments too.

“On an individual level, my mentality from the start of pre-season was to ensure I elevated my game compared to last year, took full advantage of the opportunities presented to me and to grow in confidence.

“I put in a lot of work outside team training to fine-tune my skills and attributes while working on weaknesses and this evidently led to advancements in my game and growth as a football player physically and mentally.”

NPL plays key role in Tegan Bertolissio’s development

By

The National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s competition has played a pivotal role in promising young gun Tegan Bertolissio’s football development that saw the 17-year-old earn herself an A-League Women’s contract with Canberra United following a successful season with the Macarthur Rams.

A regular feature in Stephen Peters’ squad this season, the versatile defender starred in what was a breakout year for the former Junior and now Young Matilda as she paid full credit to the NPL NSW Women’s competition.

“I believe the NPL NSW Women’s competition has had a massive impact on my development,” Bertolissio stated to Football NSW.

“This year was my first time playing in the women’s first grade competition and looking back at my performance from round 1 to the last round of the season, I feel I have grown and progressed as a footballer.

“Being able to learn from and play with and against a lot of experienced first grade players has played a big role in my development.”

Finishing runners-up to APIA Leichhardt FC for the Premiership, the Rams hit another gear in the finals series which saw them clinch a second successive Championship following a 2-0 victory over the Bulls FC Academy in the Final.

Bertolissio played a massive role in the Rams’ pursuit for silverware in 2023 so much so, she also earned herself a spot in this year’s NPL NSW Women’s ‘Team of the Year’ following her consistent performances that caught the attention of many, including Canberra United.

Not bad for a youngster that made the sudden jump from reserve grade football this season.

“The whole year for me has been one to remember.

“Coming from playing reserve grade all last year, to then making a big step up and playing my first season in first grade has been a time of transition and development for me.

“I had to work extremely hard to earn to the respect from my new teammates coming into the team and contest against quality players to earn my starting spot in the team at Macarthur Rams.”

Speaking on how the Canberra United offer came about, Bertolissio stated that it was thanks to the NPL she had the exposure to showcase her talent which caught the attention of Head Coach Njegosh Popovich.

“It all came about thanks to a midweek NPL NSW Women’s match with the Rams when I remembered seeing Njegosh watching.

“The following day my Dad got a phone call and it all started from there.”

Set for a massive A-League Women’s season, Tegan has also been ultra proud of her brother Joel, who too, has gained national attention thanks to the NPL following a huge year with the Bulls FC Academy which earned him a spot in Mile Sterjovski’s A-League side.

It’s been that competitive nature that has certainly spurred the Bertolissio siblings at home to reach new heights as Tegan further explained.

“It’s a very competitive household but Joel and I push each other to be better.

“We can both relate to each other’s football experiences, and we help each other through the highs and lows of football.

“When he watches my games, he is not afraid to critique me on how I can improve my game.

“As much as I hate him telling me what to do, I respect what he says because he is a very intelligent footballer.

“Having Joel has definitely helped me to develop as a young footballer.”

Gomez keen to spoil the Rams’ party on Sunday

By

In 2014 Jaime Gomez lifted the Championship trophy with the Football NSW Institute. Almost a decade later, he has the opportunity to do the same with Bulls FC Academy on Sunday. 

One of the most respected and talented coaches in NSW, Jaime Gomez, will lead his Bulls FC Academy in the Grand Final against the Macarthur Rams.

Taking an extremely talented Institute team all the way nine years ago, Gomez has the chance to do the same against the Rams, who believe it or not, were the same opponent all those years ago.

The Bulls coach is eagerly anticipating the clash.

“It’s been a long time,” said Gomez.

“It’s an unreal feeling. A lot of hard work but with this group anything is possible and it’s nice to be in a Grand Final again.”

A mix of experience and youth has seen this squad develop well throughout the season and Gomez is proud of their achievements.

He says the squad is prepared for the task ahead of them and are ready for the challenge that the Rams present.

“The girls have been relaxed all the way through, that’s the environment that we create as a coaching staff,” Gomez said.

“We want the girls to just go out on the pitch and express themselves and be relaxed.

“It’s another game and although it’s a big one it’s just another match and that’s how we’ll approach it and we’ll do what we need to do in terms of training, video analysis and scouting of our opponents.

“Business as usual.”

They take on the Rams this week who they haven’t beaten yet in 2023.

“A tough team that have quality players across the park,” said the Bulls mentor.

“We’ll have one eye on how we’ve played against them and what has worked and what hasn’t and what we can improve on.

“A lot of it will be on us and how we can improve.”

After a fantastic first half against APIA Leichhardt in the semi-final, the team dropped off somewhat in the second period, something Gomez will definitely address.

“The second half we dropped off and there are some areas we need to focus on and to win a Grand Final you need to be in it for 90 minutes and not 60 or 70 minutes and we’ll be mindful of that.”

2023 NPL NSW Women’s Grand Final

Sunday 17th September

Bulls FC Academy v Macarthur Rams

Valentine Sports Park

6pm

NPL.TV will broadcast live both the NPL NSW Women’s Reserve and First Grade matches respectively.

By Nikola Pozder

Seaman to go all out in Bulls battle for the Championship

By

There were shouts across Facebook for a Matildas call up during the FIFA Women’s World Cup with the amount of Team of the Week appearances for Jessica Seaman, as she prepares to line up for Bulls FC Academy in the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s Grand Final this Sunday. 

A phenomenal season for Seaman who has helped the newly promoted team to a fourth placed league finish and a place in the biggest game of the season.

“It’s an amazing feeling making the Grand Final,” Seaman said after the Bulls defeated 2023 Premiers APIA Leichhardt.

“Getting promoted to the NPL NSW Women’s competition last season was great, but we got knocked out in the semi finals and didn’t have the chance to play in the Football NSW League One Grand Final.

“This season in the top tier we won our semi and now have the opportunity to play in the Grand Final.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the girls and the coaches, we done it!”

It was a difficult clash against APIA but the Bulls did well to overcome a stubborn outfit and secure a tight 2-1 victory.

“We had a game plan which we stuck to, played our style of football and everyone did their jobs which was enough to secure the win,” said the experienced central defender.

The Bulls will face an in-form Macarthur Rams who are on an 18-match unbeaten streak, a side they weren’t able to take a point off this season.

“Macarthur are a tough match up, they’ve beaten us twice this season but I think we matched them both times,” Seaman said.

“They scored a last-minute goal last time we played them and I definitely think they are beatable.”

The Bulls have excelled perhaps more than some would have expected in their first year back in the top tier but Seaman says it’s a collective team effort.

“I can’t say that one player has really stood out because we’ve been great as a team and everyone has been fantastic and stepped up,” said Seaman.

2023 NPL NSW Women’s Grand Final

Sunday 17th September

Bulls FC Academy v Macarthur Rams

Valentine Sports Park

6pm

NPL.TV will broadcast live both the NPL NSW Women’s Reserve and First Grade matches respectively.

By Nikola Pozder