With the rise of women’s football in Australia, the upcoming Women’s NPL season promises to bring new and exciting challenges to all the teams in the competition. With the addition of two new teams into the league, the importance of performance creates higher expectations, with this year’s competition looking to be one of the best yet. After a disappointing season last year, NWS Spirit FC’s First Grade Women’s coach, and Senior Women’s Technical Director, Tee Gauci, is hoping to continue the club’s rise.
In the off-season, Tee has been working hard to ensure that her team is ready for the challenges of the upcoming season, with herself and some of her players doing a tour of England. This wasn’t just a holiday, Tee and her girls took the opportunity to prepare for the season by working with some of the top coaches in England, as well as playing against the likes of the Manchester United, Birmingham and Manchester City women’s teams. With the intention of “moving forward with the women’s program”, Tee also spent the off-season recruiting players for her squad, with new signings Rola Badawiya, Ella Abdul Massih, and Mary Stanic-Floody being drafted into the squad. All three are currently participating in the A-League Womens season taking place, and return to Spirit for the commencement of the competition season. With the intention of “providing competition to the squad” and “energy in parts of the squad which are required,” Tee hopes that the new signings can be the spark that the team desperately needs, with each signing bringing in wealth of different experiences.
After joining Spirit in the middle of last season, Tee is confident that she can bring success to Christie Park, with this season being her first opportunity to have a full pre-season with the side. Tee believes that having such significant time on the ground at Christie Park can help instil the values and philosophies that she aims to move forward with, with Tee looking to build a project that brings in long term success. Ensuring success for this season, according to Tee, means ensuring that “Spirit’s club culture remains in the women’s program,” and creating an environment where the players enjoy their football. Tee concludes that having a strong and effective philosophy can ensure that her players work hard and maintain a good work ethic, which in-turn will bring success to our womens program.
By Renesh Krishnan
Renesh Krishnan is an aspiring football journalist at NWSF who currently studies a Bachelor of Media and Communications at Macquarie University. Playing for NWSF club, West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Lions FC, since under 5’s, Renesh and his family have been a part of the NWSF community since 2009. With a passion for creative writing, public speaking, and all things football, Renesh looks to tell the unique stories and journeys of everyone at NWSF, helping bring the community closer together.
