Adelaide United have re-signed eight players from the club’s record-breaking Ninja A-League squad as the Reds look to build on an historic campaign with another tilt at the Finals Series 2025-26.
New head coach Theo Tsiounis has retained the bulk of the club’s 2024-25 squad with the confirmed return of Chelsie Dawber, Fiona Worts, Sian Dewey, Emily Hodgson, Claudia Jenkins, Matilda McNamara, Ilona Melegh and Sarah Morgan.
Dawber, Worts, Dewey, Jenkins, McNamara and Melegh have all penned two-year contract extensions while Morgan has recommitted for the 2025-26 campaign alone. Hodgson, meanwhile, has signed a three-year contract extension set to keep the experienced midfielder at the club until the end of the 2027-28 season.
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The Reds recorded a club-best points haul of 45 last term, as well as an 11-game unbeaten run – the longest in club history – to reach the post-season. There, they secured their first-ever Finals Series win, beating Western United to advance to the Semi-Finals.
Confirmation of Thursday’s eight-player re-signing spree took the club’s list of retained players up to 11 with Emily Condon (2025-26), Ella Tonkin (2025-26) and Erin Healy (2025-26) all previously recommitting to the club.
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Among the re-signed octet are the club’s two top-scorers from the Ninja A-League 2025-26 campaign, with both Worts (11 goals) and Dawber (eight goals) signing on for two more seasons, and goalkeeper Claudia Jenkins, who kept eight clean sheets in an impressive breakout campaign.
Australia international defender McNamara has also re-signed for two seasons and will look to continue to build her partnership with Ella Tonkin in central defence.
Adelaide head of football Marius Zanin says re-signing so many of the most important contributors to last season’s success was pivotal to the club’s hopes of improving once again.
“We’re proud to re-sign this core group who were vital to our most successful season,” Zanin said.
“They bring quality, leadership, and resilience, and together with our exciting young talents, give us the foundation to keep building for sustained success.”
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