Wow the Victorian Womens Premier League has really snuck up on me! It starts TODAY with a rescheduled match between the new teams VCL Country and the Emerging Athletes team.
Have a comment about this years WPL or the womens game - then tweet me @sangriablues
The league has undergone a major expansion this year, which includes two talent development teams.
The league has increased to 11 teams with two new teams Bundoora United and Doncaster Rovers joining the WPL after Prestons Lions’ relegation and Bendigo Vipers withdrawal.
The league kicked off this week with one game played on Sunday and the remaining games being played next weekend.
VCL Country and Emerging Athlete Program (EAP) started their season today and are playing both making their WPL debut as the FFV tried to ramp up its talent development pathway.
Both teams will play as a senior team only, will be exempt from relegation and they will play for points but not be able to play finals football.
They will have young and upcoming players as will Bundoora and Doncaster which will play their first year at the top level.
The lean towards to younger players is also being reflected in a number of established teams including Ashburton and Casey Comets.
Casey have a new coach after the club parted ways with Deb Nichols, leaving the WPL with no female coach in the top league.
Ian Williamson, who has coached in the FFV’s Champions League for a number of seasons, has taken over at the Comets and said he has been given direction from the club to rebuild the squad.
“We have a young and enthusiastic team with a lot of speed and commitment,” Williamson said adding that only five regular players from last year remain in the team.
Chris Michail has been reappointed at Ashburton and will be relying on many of his reserve players to step up to the next level.
Ashburton’s reserves team have topped the league in five out of the past six years.
“We have a completely different team this years, the average age has dropped dramatically as we enter a rebuilding phase,” Michail said.
The two powerhouse teams Box Hill and Heidelberg will have the same look and feel and will form the benchmark of the competition.
Box Hill are not without their own talent program with five club members being selected in the Victorian under-17 state teams last year.
They also have a string of Melbourne Victory players including Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri, New Zealand international Marlies Oostdam and Louisa Bisby.
Sandringham will look to build on their third place finish in 2010, which was their best to date, and South Melbourne’s Alan Davidson will be looking to consolidate after reversing the club’s decline last year.
Altona City will return to the WPL for their second year, despite finishing second last in their maiden season in 2010, escaping relegation when the Vipers withdrew.
The new talent program teams will add an element of the unknown to the WPL as will the rebuilding going on in a number of the established teams.
Injuries and squad depth will probably play a big role in making the top four but its probably a given that Box Hill and Heidelberg will battle it out at the top.
Expect some upsets and expect to see some young talent start to make an impact – in a world cup year for the womens game that’s about as good as it can get.
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