After scoring the Philippines’ first-ever World Cup goal, Sarina Bolden endured a stressful four months waiting to land at her next club. Now, the Filipinas star tells aleagues.com.au how she plans to make the most of a fresh start in Newcastle.
Sarina Bolden is unsurprisingly eager to make up for lost time.
A player who just weeks ago feared her Liberty A-League journey had come to a premature end, Bolden earned her second crack in the competition at Newcastle Jets; she was unveiled as a new signing early on a Sunday afternoon in late November, and just two hours later had bagged her first goal for the club.
Her fifth-minute strike in a 4-3 win over Canberra United was the fastest debut goal in Newcastle Jets history.
It presented an unusual situation in the sense that a goal scored at record pace was a long time coming.
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But why was Bolden, an emerging talent in the Liberty A-League in 2022-23 with Western Sydney, and scorer of the Philippines’ first ever World Cup goal in the off-season, without a club until the sixth round of the 2023-24 campaign?
“Honestly, I was like: ‘You know what? I don’t know if the A-League is going to work’,” Bolden told aleagues.com.au.
“Especially because I’m a foreigner, there are only five (international) spots per team, and they fill up quickly because most teams, if not all, use that opportunity to fill all five spots.
“I have some connections within the A-League so I was just trying to shop around, basically, like: ‘Is anyone willing to take me?’ It was getting to that point where it was a bit too late after the World Cup.
“I was letting things come to me in a sense, I wasn’t pushing things, but by then I was a little late to the show, and coaches and clubs already had their idea of who they wanted – which I totally understood.
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“There were a few things post-World Cup offered on the table, but things just didn’t align. Whether it was a little bit too far abroad or a language barrier, I didn’t know how I was going to cope with it having experienced that in Japan (at AS Saitama) before I came to the A-League, that was a bit of a struggle for me.
“I was accepting it, to be honest, but then (the Jets opportunity) came about and I was honestly really surprised… in my heart, I really wanted to stay in the A-League and be able to get a proper season in. It was just perfect. I was like: ‘Oh wow, there’s an opportunity to be in the A-League!’ so I jumped at it, honestly.”
In truth, Bolden’s return to the Liberty A-League was less a jump than a launch from a catapult.
Within hours of signing her Newcastle contract, Bolden had scored her first two goals of the season, inspiring her new side to victory in a seven-goal thriller against Canberra.
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Bolden scored just one goal in her debut season in the Liberty A-League with the Wanderers, arriving in Western Sydney in December, 2022 – even later in the season than when she touched down in Newcastle this time around.
An important facet of her optimism for the remainder of the campaign is the competition’s expansion; the reintroduction of Central Coast Mariners as the league’s 12th team paved the way for a full home-and-away schedule for the first time in league history.
It means that, despite her second chance coming six weeks after the league’s 2023-24 start date, Bolden still has ample time to get her feet under the table in Newcastle and put together a consistent run of form over the remaining 15 rounds.
But as Bolden shifts her focus to the months ahead, the Jets striker takes a moment to reflect on the testing months that preceded her arrival in the Hunter.
The 27-year-old was the Philippines’ headline writer at the World Cup, but had no club to return to following the conclusion of the Filipinas’ brave group stage exit.
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“When I wasn’t on a team I was definitely concerned, to the point where I kind of wanted to not participate in national team stuff from that perspective,” Bolden said. “I didn’t want to bring my stressful self into a camp and stress other people out, or bring that energy in.
“But my national teammates, Quinley Quezada, Jaclyn (Sawicki), Jessika Cowart, they were all very supportive when I chatted with them. They were like: ‘I know you’re really stressed, but you should still come if you’re able to be in a space to do that’.”
Two international camps have followed the World Cup: one for the Asian Games in China and another for three Olympic Qualifiers in Perth in October. Bolden’s mental state led her to contemplate stepping away from the international scene until her club future was assured.
Quezada and Cowart, meanwhile, had both secured contracts with Perth Glory in the aftermath of the Women’s World Cup, while Sawicki returned to Western United – the club she captained to the 2022-23 Liberty A-League Grand Final.
Their support, at the time, was invaluable to Bolden.
“They kept me calm,” she said. “I tell them a majority of what goes on in my life, especially the soccer stuff. Everyone knew I didn’t have a team, and I think for me, that was a bit stressful.
“Even though I was acting like it was relaxing, and a time to recuperate my body, I was definitely stressed mentally.
“Because all I wanted to do was play and be on a team, and continue off the back of the World Cup and keep honing my skills. And at the same time, I know I am an asset to the national team, and being in that environment will help everyone involved.
“We had the Asian Games and then the Olympic Qualifiers, and I am so grateful when I look back that I went and did that, joining my teammates. I think I really needed that, just to be in that environment even though I didn’t have a club to return to.”
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Patience paid off for Bolden, who this weekend will play her third game of the season for the Jets at home to Sawicki’s Western United.
The Jets are 10th on the Liberty A-League table, but will hope the last game of Matildas star Emily van Egmond’s guest stint leads to a second win in three games to bring Newcastle level with fifth-placed Western on 10 points.
Bolden prepares to help the Jet take flight with the gratitude of a player eager to make the most of a fresh start in her “second home.”
“I know I haven’t been here (in Australia) for too long but I feel like I’ve been here forever,” Bolden said.
“Given this opportunity, I’m going to really settle into it, find my feet and try to stay here for as long as possible, because the league does offer such a great experience and high competition.
“A lot of the girls playing in the Women’s Super League were all grown in the A-League. Australia did a really great job this last World Cup, and that was a lot of thanks to the A-League.
“A lot of (the Matildas) came through this league. I think it still has a lot of potential and growth, this season is the longest the A-League has had so far, home-and-away for all teams and it’s expanded to more teams as well, so there’s just a lot of growth. And I think there’s a lot of potential growth for me, to get opportunities abroad eventually whenever that comes.”
“But I’m here, I’m not in a rush to leave. I definitely want to make my mark. I don’t want to start off strong and taper off toward the middle and end, but I know it’s going to take work and understanding what the coaches want and what the staff want from me, what my teammates want from me.
“Being here for me so far has been very much like: ‘Okay, here you go, you’ve just signed now go play a game’. It’s been go, go, go. Now I hope I can just have a normal start everyone usually gets instead of having high expectations right away.
“I am kind of used to that, but now I hope I can get my bearings and slowly, but surely build myself into the league. That’s what I want from being in Australia, and my second chance.”
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