Brisbane Roar will contest the upcoming Westfield W-League 2013/14 season with an unprecedented 19 Queenslanders in their 20-player squad.
Brisbane Roar will contest the upcoming Westfield W-League 2013/14 season with an unprecedented 19 Queenslanders in their 20-player squad.
In a massive sign of the current and emerging female talent in the state, Head Coach Belinda Wilson-s squad includes nine Westfield Matildas, three Westfield Young Matildas, three Westfield U-17 Matildas and three Queensland Academy of Sport players.
The only non-Queenslander and foreign member of the Roar squad is goalkeeper Nadine Angerer, the recently-named UEFA European Female Footballer of the Year.
“I-m very confident in the players we-ve got at the club this season and I-ve seen some promising signs throughout our pre-season preparations,” Wilson said.
“In any playing group, it-s important to maintain the right mix of experience and youth and it-s clear to see that we have that here at Brisbane Roar.
“With the current depth in the squad, I think we can make a real push for success in this year-s W-League season.”
This squad sees the return of Roar stalwarts Joanne Burgess and Kim Carroll, both of whom missed last year-s campaign due to injury.
Sunshine Coast-s Larissa Crummer and Gold Coast local Hayley Raso have also committed to Brisbane for the upcoming season, after stints with Sydney FC and Canberra United respectively.
The ever-reliable Clare Polkinghorne will again don the captain-s armband for the two-time Westfield W-League Champions with Elise Kellond-Knight resuming duties as her deputy.
“This squad is a great representation of what we want for Brisbane Roar,” newly-appointed Football Director Ken Stead said.
“It shows that Queensland has a strong history of developing our own youngsters and the proof is in the talent within this Brisbane Roar W-League squad.
“We have also made sure we have the right players to implement the characteristic Brisbane Roar style of play – attacking, fast-paced football.”
This season, Brisbane Roar Women will have the backing of a major sponsor for the first time in their short history with principal partner Brisbane Airport Corporation signing on for the Westfield W-League 2013/14 campaign.
Fans can now purchase a Brisbane Roar W-League specific membership this season at RoarMemberships.com
The season will kick off on Saturday, 9 November with a home fixture against traditional rivals Canberra United at AJ Kelly Park. Kick off is at 3pm.
Brisbane Roar W-League 2013/14 squad: Nadine ANGERER (gk), Laura ALLEWAY, Joanne BURGESS, Tameka BUTT, Kim CARROLL, Amy CHAPMAN, Larissa CRUMMER, Erika ELZE, Sunny FRANCO, Emily GIELNIK, Brooke GOODRICH, Katrina GORRY, Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, Ayesha NORRIE, Clare POLKINGHORNE, Vedrana POPOVIC, Hayley RASO, Brooke SPENCE, Kate STEWART (gk), Natasha WHEELER
