The Westfield W-League is about to enter a new era so here are five pivotal games that could help define the 2019/20 Season.
The 14 Westfield W-League matches you can watch on free-to-air TV
Every derby, double header, themed round and much more
Get your own PDF of the Westfield W-League 2019/20 Season Draw
Western Sydney Wanderers v Adelaide United
Round 1 – Thursday, 14 November
Venue: Marconi Stadium
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEDT
Watch: FOX Sports, Kayo Sports, MyFootball App
The Thursday night season opener is only 14 days away and it could be one that sets the tone for the Westfield W-League 2019/20 campaign.
After collecting only four points in a gruelling 2018/19 campaign, Western Sydney Wanderers have rocked the competition to its core by bringing in a pair of elite quality imports.
The signatures of Kristen Hamilton and Lynn Williams, who scored 21 goals between them in the 2019 NWSL season, is a signal of intent that Wanderers are leaving their basement dwellings behind and shooting for the stars.
The American forward pair led North Carolina Courage to three straight NWSL Shields and back-to-back NWSL Championships, including a 4-0 crushing of Chicago Red Stars in the 2019 Championship game.
@NWSL_players present our inaugural Player of the Year awards. These awards are voted for by ONLY the players of the NWSL.
Congratulations to our Team of the Year!#ProsKnow #ForThePlayersByThePlayers pic.twitter.com/MCpWqtWaYB
— NWSLPA (@nwsl_players) October 18, 2019
Both were named in the NWSL Players’ Association Team of the Year 2019, and they are joined at Western Sydney ‘Courage’ by another North Carolina player, Ireland international Denise O’Sullivan, on a guest deal.
New coach Dean Heffernan will be aiming to take a leaf out of Adelaide’s book. The Reds went into 2018/19 as wooden spooners but got off to an electric start, losing only one of their first eight games, and narrowly missed out on the Finals Series.
The likely Westfield W-League debut of four-cap Westfield Matildas prodigy, Mary Fowler, will make this game even more of a mouth-watering prospect.
FIXTURES: Adelaide United’s 2019/20 Season Draw
WESTFIELD YOUNG MATILDAS: Rising star Fowler scores two in win against Thailand
Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory
Round 1 – Sunday, 17 November
Venue: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Kick-off: 4.00pm AEDT
Watch: ABC TV, ABC iView, FOX Sports, Kayo Sports, MyFootball App
The only thing that makes a Big Blue even bigger is when it’s Champions versus Premiers, free-to-air, on ABC TV.
Sydney FC may have lifted the Championship but Ante Juric’s side are clearly not resting on their laurels after finishing third in the 2018/19 regular season.
The Sky Blues have added ex-Adelaide striker Veronica Latsko, who scored nine Westfield W-League goals in 2018/19, to a star-studded core of Westfield Matildas Alanna Kennedy, Chloe Logarzo, Caitlin Foord and US imports Sofia Huerta and Aubrey Bledsoe in goal.
For Latsko to make a fast start to life in the Harbour City, she will have to navigate around Victory’s star signing for 2019/20, former AFLW gun Jenna McCormick, while their own nine-goal striker Natasha Dowie returns.
Victory stunned the competition in 2018/19 when they marched to their first Westfield W-League Premiership. Sydney FC may have been crowned Champions but they did not beat Victory along the way.
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FIXTURES: Sydney FC’s 2019/20 Season Draw
FIXTURES: Melbourne Victory’s 2019/20 Season Draw
Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory
Round 5 – Thursday, 12 December
Venue: ABD Stadium
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEDT
Watch: FOX Sports, Kayo Sports, MyFootball App
The balance of power shifted dramatically in 2018/19. Not only in Melbourne, but across the entire Westfield W-League.
Since 2016, Melbourne City had been the competition heavyweights, becoming the first club to win back-to-back Championships and then the first team to ‘Three-peat’ in 2018.
All of a sudden, in 2019, the most successful team in Westfield W-League history were suddenly not the pride of the state as Victory shocked the competition to lift the Premiers Plate.
Meanwhile, Rado Vidošić side had missed out on the Westfield W-League Finals Series by the narrowest of margins, finishing fifth on goal difference, three goals behind Perth Glory.
To remedy last season’s slip, City have reloaded for 2019/20 and swooped for a pair of top-class Westfield Matildas in Emily van Egmond from Newcastle Jets and Ellie Carpenter from Canberra United.
Getting the edge in the derby is the first step towards a successful season, especially when you consider that Jeff Hopkins’ Victory outfit claimed a double in 2018/19, with a 1-0 home win and a 2-0 reverse on the road.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6006431002001
FIXTURES: Melbourne City’s 2019/20 Season Draw
HOW TO WATCH: Westfield W-League live in 2019/20
Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC
Round 6 – Friday, 20 December
Venue: Bankwest Stadium
Kick-off: 5.00pm AEDT
Watch: FOX Sports, Kayo Sports, MyFootball App
The very first Westfield W-League derby at Bankwest Stadium will be one for the history books.
Expect the Red and Black faithful to turn out in numbers as the Harbour City rivals meet ahead of the Western Sydney versus Western United Hyundai A-League clash in Parramatta.
If Wanderers can make the leap and become Westfield W-League contenders, this Round 6 clash against the Champions could be their biggest test to prove how far they have come.
At the same time, Premiers Melbourne Victory face off against last year’s runners-up and defeated Semi Finalists, Brisbane Roar.
With an all-star Westfield Matildas line up, including Hayley Raso, Clare Polkinghorne, Tameka Yallop, Katrina Gorry and Mackenzie Arnold, the Queenslanders will be desperate to go one step further this time around.
Should either of the Sydney sides fall below expectations, keep an eye on Victory and Roar to make strides towards taking the throne in 2019/20.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6004289077001
FIXTURES: Western Sydney Wanderers’ 2019/20 Season Draw
FIXTURES: Brisbane Roar’s 2019/20 Season Draw
Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar
Round 10 – Thursday, 16 January 2020
Venue: Leichhardt Oval
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEDT
Watch: FOX Sports, Kayo Sports, MyFootball App
With a whole host of Westfield Matildas in action and the weight of history behind them, Sydney FC’s Round 10 clash with Brisbane Roar is one not to be missed.
The likes of Kennedy, Logarzo and Foord take on Raso, Yallop and Polkinghorne at Leichhardt Oval, the new scene for the latest chapter in one of the Westfield W-League’s great traditional rivalries.
With just four rounds remaining after this Round 10 blockbuster, there’s every chance this clash could be crucial in determining the destination of the 2019/20 Premiership.
SIGNING NEWS: Every Westfield W-League In for the 2019/20 Season
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