FOOTBALL NSW INSTITUTE

DESPITE THE MANY CHALLENGES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND ITS IMPACT ON BOTH TRAINING AND THE COMPETITION SEASON, THE 2021 FOOTBALL NSW GIRLS’ INSTITUTE PROGRAM HAD AN ENCOURAGING AND EVENTFUL YEAR.

Fortunately, and with the benefit of having highly experienced coaching and strength and conditioning staff, the players’ development was not hampered, as we continued to provide them a high-performance training program in their home environment during the lockdown period. In addition to their home training program, the players and staff were provided with a number of high-level workshops and seminars. In line with our holistic approach and with an objective of maintaining a level of development and growth during such unprecedented times, these online workshops featured some highly proclaimed individuals in our game, including former Matildas and NZ Ferns Head Coach, Tom Sermanni, and Australian sports commentator and Football NSW Board member, Stephanie Brantz. Nutrition, mental health and wellbeing were also topics of importance that were delivered. Football NSW and the Institute coaching staff will continue to deliver a best practice highperformance environment, implementing new initiatives and ideas year after year so as to facilitate our young players’ aspirations and their overall goal to progress on to the A-League Women and hopefully through to the various national teams.

Most significantly, and with a great deal of pride, Football NSW has also had the pleasure of two of our most recent players, Jessika Nash and Bryleeh Henry, being selected for the national team, making their debuts for the Matildas in matches against Brazil and USA in the last quarter of 2021. Football NSW congratulates both players, and their families, for this wonderful achievement. It remains our hope that we will see alumni of the Institute program gracing our pitches on home soil at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Football NSW would like to highlight and congratulate the following players for their recent achievement in being selected for A-League Womens’ teams for the 2021/22 season:

• Jessika Nash – Sydney FC and

Matildas • Charlie Rule – Sydney FC • Sarah Hunter – Sydney FC • Mary Stanic-Floody – Sydney FC • Bryleeh Henry – Western Sydney

Wanderers and Matildas • Alexia Apostolakis – Western

Sydney Wanderers • Darcey Malone – Melbourne City FC • Holly Macnamara – Melbourne City

FC • Cushla Rue – Wellington Phoenix • Jordan Jasnos – Wellington Phoenix