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Melbourne Victory FC (women)

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Melbourne Victory Women
Full nameMelbourne Victory Football Club
Founded2008; 16 years ago (2008)
GroundAAMI Park
The Home of the Matildas
Capacity30,050
2,000
ChairmanJohn Dovaston
ManagerJeff Hopkins
LeagueA-League Women
2023–244th of 12
Current season
Active departments of Melbourne Victory FC
Football
(Men's)		 Football
(Men's Youth)		 Football
(Women's)		 Football
(Women's AWT)

Melbourne Victory FC is an Australian professional women's soccer team affiliated with Melbourne Victory FC and Football Federation Victoria. Founded in 2008, the team is one of the representatives of Melbourne in Australia's top-tier domestic competition – the A-League Women.

History

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Establishment

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See also: W-League: Establishment

Following on from the previous top-division Women's National Soccer League, Melbourne Victory Women linked with the Hyundai A-League men's club but run by Football Federation Victoria (FFV), was a foundation club of the Westfield W-League.[1] With a strong roster boasting Australia's number one goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri and former Matildas star Tal Karp as captain, expectations were high.

Inaugural season

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See also: 2008–09 Melbourne Victory W-League season and W-League 2008–09

Early signs were positive in the first season with New Zealand international Marlies Oostdam scoring the club's first goal as Victory won their first competitive fixture, defeating Central Coast Mariners 2–0.[2] Despite being on top of the table at the conclusion of Round 3, the next few rounds were lean for Melbourne, and it found itself in the position of needing a win in the final round to make the finals series. With the final round match in the balance, Central Coast Mariners came back to haunt Victory with goals in the 89th and 90th minutes to deny the Victory a play-off spot in the inaugural year.[3] Melissa Barbieri was awarded Goalkeeper of the Year by the league.[4]

2009

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See also: 2009 W-League (Australia)

The second season proved even more painful as once again Melbourne's finals prospects came down to a last-round showdown, this time against Perth Glory. Needing only a draw to claim fourth spot, late goals again cost Victory as Perth scored in the 81st and 87th meaning the Victorians missed out on finals to Canberra via goal difference.

2010–11

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See also: 2010–11 W-League

Season 2010/11 saw a change of personnel for Melbourne Victory with new coach Vicki Linton taking charge of a re-shuffled squad. Adjusting to a new system and new teammates, it was a slow start with the team having to wait until Round 4 to claim its first win of the season before finishing the regular season off with a five-match undefeated run.

Finishing in fourth spot, Victory made the finals but succumbed to a strong Sydney FC team 5–1. The team was not quite ready for a title challenge but a maiden finals campaign was an important step forward. 2010/11 also saw the club win its first silverware with a win over Canberra United, seeing it awarded the OCRF Trophy while also taking out the W-League Fair Play Award.

2011–12

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See also: 2011–12 W-League

If 2010/11 was an important step forward, 2011/12 was a giant leap for Melbourne Victory as it consolidated its place as one of the top teams in Australia. Its most consistent season so far saw it never out of finals contention. Going the entire season undefeated at home – including going within minutes of beating the undefeated Canberra United – Victory finished fourth in the tightest season of the Westfield W-League in history.

Despite a tight 1–0 loss to Canberra in the semi-final it was a successful season with Steph Catley, Ashley Brown, Brianna Davey and Katrina Gorry all making their Matildas debuts while Catley and Brown won Footballer of the Year (Australian Football Fan Awards) and W-League Young Player of the Season respectively. Melbourne Victory also won its second successive W-League Fair Play Award, sharing with Canberra, and retained the OCRF Trophy.

2012–13

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See also: 2012–13 W-League

Hoping to build on their strong 2011/12 season, the Victory got off to a shaky start in 2012/13 with head coach Vicki Linton resigning only weeks before the season was to kick-off. With her departure Darren Tan was appointed as interim coach until former Gold Coast United coach Mike Mulvey was given the job just days before the opening round.

Having only a squad of 12 players registered going into the match, Melbourne Victory was forced to sign three more players due to FFA regulations before going on to lose 2–0 to Perth. Despite another loss in Round 2 leaving the team on the bottom of the ladder, a combination of international signings – including stars Petra Larsson and Jessica Fishlock – and players beginning to understand Mulvey's playing system led to a turnaround in form.

With the league's best defence, Melbourne finished the regular season in third place losing only a single match after Round 2. Even so, the team had to contend with more issues as Mulvey left following Round 9 to take up an A-League contract with Brisbane Roar, while Fishlock's guest contract ended after Round 10. A dramatic semi-final win over Perth Glory extended the side's historic undefeated streak to seven and allowed it to host the 2012/13 Westfield W-League grand final at AAMI Park, although it fell to Sydney FC 3–1. Despite this, Steph Catley was awarded W-League Young Player of the Year and Mike Mulvey W-League Coach of the Year.

Support

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The active support group for Melbourne Victory is the Victory Vikings, who also serve as the active support group for Melbourne Victory FC AWT.[5][6] The group was formed prior to the 2019–20 W-League season by Melbourne Victory supporters who attended the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, after they were involved with the Matildas Active Support and enjoyed the experience.[7] Aside from attending matches, the Victory Vikings are also known for announcing statistics on player milestones, as well as posting instant live match updates for Melbourne Victory and AWT matches. The group is notable for their mascot, a large stuffed Homer Simpson doll wearing a Viking helmet that is brought to matches, with players frequently posing with it.[8]

Players

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Current squad

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As of 25 September 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Australia AUS Lydia Williams
2 DF England ENG Ellie Wilson
3 DF New Zealand NZL Claudia Bunge
5 MF Australia AUS Sofia Sakalis
6 MF Australia AUS Beattie Goad
7 FW Australia AUS Ella O'Grady
8 MF Australia AUS Alana Murphy
10 MF Australia AUS Alex Chidiac
11 FW Australia AUS Nickoletta Flannery
13 MF United States USA Sara D'Appolonia
15 FW Australia AUS Emily Gielnik
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF Australia AUS Paige Zois
18 DF United States USA Kayla Morrison (captain)
19 FW Australia AUS Lia Privitelli
22 MF Australia AUS Ava Briedis
23 MF Australia AUS Rachel Lowe
24 MF Australia AUS Laura Pickett
27 MF Australia AUS Rosie Curtis
50 GK Australia AUS Courtney Newbon
66 FW Australia AUS Alana Jancevski
— GK New Zealand NZL Geo Candy (injury replacement)

Notable former players

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See also: List of Melbourne Victory Women players

Below is a list of notable footballers who have previously played for Melbourne Victory Women. Generally, this means players that have played 50 or more first-class matches for the club. However, some players who have played fewer matches are also included, are the club's integral founding members, were integral members of a championship winning team, have at least one senior international cap or made significant contributions to the club's history.

Australia Australia

Canada Canada

England England

 

New Zealand New Zealand

South Korea South Korea

Sweden Sweden

Turkey Turkey

United States United States

Wales Wales

 

Managers

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Dates Name Notes Honours
26 October 2008–5 December 2009 Australia Matt Sheppard[9] Inaugural manager
3 August 2010–7 September 2012 Australia Vicki Linton[10][11] First manager to take the club to W-League finals W-League Fair-Play Award (x2): 2010–11 & 2011–12
12 November 2011–13 November 2011 Australia Michael Edwards[citation needed] Step-in Manager for one match
21 October 2012–18 December 2012 England Mike Mulvey[12] Departed in Round Ten to join Brisbane Roar in the A-League. W-League Coach of the Year 2012–13
18 December 2012–27 January 2013 Australia Fabrizio Soncin[13][14] Promoted from Assistant Coach to complete season 2012–13 W-League Premiership Runners-Up 2012–13
5 February 2013–23 February 2014 England Dave Edmondson[15] Departed following Grand Final to join Bristol Academy[16] W-League Champions 2013–14
14 May 2014–March 2015 Australia Joe Montemurro[17] Departed after season to join Melbourne City[18]
October 2015–January 2016 England Dave Edmondson[19][20]
17 June 2016– Wales Jeff Hopkins[21]

Honours

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Continental record

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Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
2019 AFC Women's Club Championship South Korea Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels
0–4
4th place
China Jiangsu Suning
1–1
Japan Nippon TV Beleza
0–5

Year-by-year history

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Chart of yearly table positions for Melbourne Victory in A-League Women
Melbourne W-League history
Season Teams League Position Finals Position
2008–09 8 5th –
2009 8 5th –
2010–11 7 4th Semi-Finals
2011–12 7 4th Semi-Finals
2012–13 8 3rd Finalist
2013–14 8 3rd Champions
2014 8 2nd Finalist
2015–16 9 9th –
2016–17 9 9th –
2017–18 9 7th –
2018–19 9 1st Semi-Finals
2019–20 9 2nd Semi-Finals
2020–21 9 3rd Champions
2021–22 10 4th Champions
2022–23 11 4th Preliminary Final
2023-24 12 4th Elimination-final

Records and statistics

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Records

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Most appearances

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Amy Jackson holds the record for most appearances with 103 as of April 2023

Last updated 30 April 2023

Competitive, professional matches only.
Name Years League Finals AFC Women's Champions League International Women's Club Championship Total
1 Australia Amy Jackson 2010–2014, 2019- 87 12 3 1 103
2 Australia Lia Privitelli 2016– 75 7 2 0 84
3 Australia Casey Dumont 2017– 64 7 2 0 73
4 Australia Melina Ayres 2017– 57 9 2 0 68
5 Turkey Gulcan Koca 2009–2018 61 5 0 1 67

Leading scorers

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Natasha Dowie holds the record for most league goals with 33 (including finals) as of April 2023.

Last updated 30 April 2023

Competitive, professional matches only, appearances including substitutes appear in brackets.
Name Years League Finals Total Games per goal
1 England Natasha Dowie 2015–2020 33 (55) 0 (2) 33 (57) 1.73
2 Australia Melina Ayres 2017– 20 (57) 8 (9) 28 (66) 2.36
=3 Australia Caitlin Friend 2010–2014 15 (42) 0 (4) 15 (46) 3.07
=3 Australia Amy Jackson 2010–2014, 2019- 14 (87) 1 (12) 15 (99) 6.60
=5 Australia Lisa De Vanna 2013–2015, 2020-2021 11 (32) 3 (5) 14 (37) 2.64
=5 United States Catherine Zimmerman 2021–2023 12 (32) 2 (7) 14 (39) 2.79

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NEW MELBOURNE VICTORY WOMEN'S FOOTBALL TEAM KICKS OFF". The Premier of Victoria. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  2. ^ "Mariners' women denied victory in Melbourne". Football NSW. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  3. ^ "Mariners women sign off for 2009 with dramatic win". Football NSW. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  4. ^ Hogan, Jesse (22 January 2009). "Barbieri named goalkeeper of the year in inaugural awards". The Age. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  5. ^ "Victory Vikings". Instagram. Victory Vikings. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  6. ^ Ojeda, Cody. ""I feed off it" - The viral star ready to light up the A-League Women". Front Page Football. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Victory Vikings: Bringing People Together (With Homer)". Impetus Football. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  8. ^ Yap, Kieran. "From songs to sponsorships: the work & dedication of women's Active Supporters". Impetus Football. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Shepherd to lead Victory Women". Melbourne Victory. 10 September 2008.
  10. ^ "Victory women secure new coach". The Women's Game. 3 August 2010.
  11. ^ "Victory coach Linton steps down". W-League. 7 September 2012.
  12. ^ "Mike Mulvey keen for season ahead". Melbourne Victory. 22 October 2012.
  13. ^ "Mulvey moves on from Victory". W-League. 19 December 2012.
  14. ^ Stone, Kathy (21 December 2012). "Victory women vow to bounce back". FTBL.
  15. ^ "Edmondson heading up Victorian women's football". The Women's Game. 4 February 2013.
  16. ^ "Dave Edmondson takes over at Bristol Academy". The Football Association. 22 January 2014.
  17. ^ "W-League: Montemurro named coach". Melbourne Victory. 14 May 2014.
  18. ^ "Melbourne Victory looking for a new coach as Joe Montemurro departs". The Women's Game. 24 April 2015.
  19. ^ "W-League team to be managed in-house at Victory". Melbourne Victory. 14 October 2015.
  20. ^ "Dave Edmondson named London Bees head coach". BBC Sport. 30 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Melbourne Victory appoint Jeff Hopkins". The Women's Game. 17 June 2016.
  22. ^ "W League Stats". ALeagueStats.com. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
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