The Regional Festival of Football is returning to the Midwest.
The eighth edition of Football West's annual regional celebration will take place between 13-18 May. This is the third occasion it will have been held in the Midwest.
There will be a series of courses and other activations during the week, with the highlight an NPL double-header at Geraldton’s Wonthella Oval on Saturday 18 May.
West Australians Georgia Cassidy and Grace Johnston have been selected for the CommBank Young Matildas' two-match international series away to China later this month.
The games are part of the preparations for the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2024™.
Australia’s U-20 Women’s National Team will play their fellow Asia Cup qualifiers in Xiamen on Sunday, 3 December, and Wednesday, 6 December 2023.
Cassidy and Johnston are both in their first season at A-Leages Women's side Perth Glory after graduating through the Football West Hyundai NTC Program for Girls.
Football West hosted the first WA State Coaching Conference since 2019 on Saturday.
Almost 150 coaches attended the new Sam Kerr Football Centre for the event, the first since the end of the pandemic.
There were two excellent presentations from key speaker Football Australia Chief Football Officer Ernie Merrick.
Perth Glory men’s and women’s teams continued the preparations for their respective A-League seasons with victories in the two Gold Fields Challenge Cup fixtures on Sunday.
First, Glory’s women defeated the Gold Fields WA Women’s State Team 4-0.
Then the Glory men overcame the Gold Fields WA Men’s State Team 3-0.
Football West is pleased to reveal the Gold Fields WA Women’s State squad for this Sunday’s Gold Fields Challenge Cup match against Perth Glory.
There are three players from NPLWA - Women’s champions Perth RedStar, including Japanese duo Chiori Ikeda and Reina Kagami, five from Perth SC including goalkeeper Rebecca Bennett, three from Balcatta Etna, two each from Hyundai NTC and Fremantle City, and one from MUM FC.
Hyundai NTC U21s’ Sam Geddes is head coach.
The players attended a shirt presentation at the State Football Centre on Tuesday.
Perth Glory have signed their fourth Football West Hyundai NTC player for the upcoming A-League Women’s season.
Goalkeeper Lilly Bailey joins Grace Johnston, Georgia Cassidy and Tanika Lala in Alex Epakis’ squad.
Bailey, who has been in the National Training Centre for Girls Program for five years, told the Perth Glory website: “I’m so excited to be able to come into the squad this season.
“I’ve been lucky to have been training in the background for a couple of years and have seen first-hand the amount of work that [head coach] Ale, the staff and the team do.
Football West’s Hyundai National Training Centre for Girls has helped produce another A-League player with Tanika Lala signing for Perth Glory.
And it is not just the 19-year-old striker who is on cloud nine - her mum Jennifer is even more delighted.
“My whole family is so happy about this, but my mum especially … it means I’m staying local to play my football and not going over east or overseas,” Lala said.
It was a mix of club colours, banners and excited screams around Optus Stadium as hundreds of kids took part in the junior parade ahead of the West Ham United-Perth Glory game.
And there were a few local youngsters on the pitch who made themselves known, with Australia U17 international Daniel Bennie capping a terrific display as a half-time substitute with an excellent goal.
The Hyundai National Training Centre for Girls is celebrating the latest two players to graduate to the ranks of the A-League.
Georgia Cassidy and Grace Johnston have been in the Football West program for six years, and both even scored in NTC’s 5-3 win over Fremantle City in the NPLWA - Women’s competition on Sunday.
Later this year the midfield duo will take their partnership to Perth Glory after they were signed by head coach Alex Epakis for the 2023/24 A-Leagues Women’s season.
Report by Tommy Doleman