The Bresciano name is football royalty in Victoria, built on the legacy of Mark Bresciano, a member of Australia’s iconic ‘Golden Generation’ His daughter Alessia is now carving out her own path with Essendon Royals.
Mark made his senior debut with Bulleen Lions in 1995, a club with strong ties to Victoria’s Veneto community, before moving to Italy where he enjoyed an illustrious career with historic clubs including Lazio and Parma.
Thirty years later, Alessia made her senior debut for the Royals, a fellow Italian-rooted club shaped by its Triestine heritage, continuing her family’s link to the region with Veneto and Trieste sitting just 200km apart along Italy’s Adriatic coast.
The 84-time Socceroo Mark Bresciano expressed his pride in seeing his daughter Alessia make such significant strides in a short space of time.
“I am pretty proud of her achievements. It is only her second season playing in the NPLW, and she is featuring in every game,” he said.
“More importantly, she only really started playing football four years ago, so she has improved a lot in a short space of time and achieved plenty for someone who came into the game so raw.”
Mark also explained that Alessia playing at another Italian-rooted club developed naturally, as Essendon Royals’ strong culture and family-like environment made it feel like home.
“I think it (playing at Essendon) just happened; it just fell into place. There was no real desire to go out and find an Italian club, that definitely wasn’t the case,” he said.
“She probably feels more comfortable with the similar background and culture. It was probably just that comfort level when you go to these types of clubs.”
The 19-year-old featured 15 times in her first season in the red and white, making an immediate impact as she earned a starting spot on debut in Round 1 against Brunswick Juventus in a 1-0 victory.
“When I originally came to Essendon, the plan was for me to be part of the U20s squad, but my opportunity came quicker than I thought,” Alessia explained.
“That (debuting in Round 1) really motivated me to keep pushing, because I had already reached a goal I set for myself by the end of the season.
“Over the break, I did some training on my own because I think one of my strengths last year was my fitness. So, I built on that so I can be the best player I can be this season.”
Alessia has featured in every match so far in 2026, making the NPLW Victoria Team of the Week for the first time in Round 6 when her Royals took down Avondale 3-1.
“This year we’ve had a lot of fun, but we’ve also had a lot of injuries so I do think the opportunity for me to step up came quicker because of that. But I’ve been putting in the work to show the coaching staff that I’m good enough to be in the squad,” she said.
"I really love playing with the girls, they are so talented and just such lovely people. Being in a positive and professional environment has made a big difference.”
Alessia started her football journey later than most, but after developing at Eltham Redbacks under Steven Babbage, she’s spent time in a variety of positions before settling into left-back at the Royals.
“I didn’t really start playing until I moved back to Australia in 2015, and I think I was pretty lucky when I went to my previous club Eltham because my coach kind of just threw me into the deep end,” she said.
“I didn’t think I was ready for the senior environment, but I ended up playing pretty much every game. I think that gave me an extra push to get to the level I should have been at, and it’s really helped me over the past couple of seasons by giving me that step forward.
“I think I was playing in the midfield and then I played as a centre back for a while, but now I am right at home at left-back.
“I do like to attack at times, but I’d say I’m more of a defensive player. I’m quite quick and just hard-working.”
Despite playing in different positions on the pitch, it comes as no surprise that Alessia draws inspiration from her father, who continues to offer guidance and insight whenever she needs it.
“I don’t think this would come as a surprise, but my dad would be my biggest inspiration. He was more attacking and scored goals, but his mindset has influenced me the most,” she said.
“I think his generation had more hunger and a higher work rate, and to this day he still shares the values he learned throughout his professional career with me.
“He has taught me that there is more to football than just the physical side of the game, and to always stay mentally switched on, especially as you progress through the levels.
As many footballers do, Alessia has ambitions of playing overseas like her father, modelling her game on Matildas star Ellie Carpenter.
“I would love to progress to the next step, whether that is here in Australia or overseas. That will come with the work that I put in, but my main focus really is just to reach my full potential because I have a lot of room for improvement,” she explained.
“I really look up to Ellie Carpenter, she just runs all day up and down the field, I think she is probably someone I would aspire to be as a fullback.”
Mark added that Alessia, like anyone, can make a move overseas, with success ultimately coming down to effort and commitment.
“Everyone has that opportunity, it just comes down to the individual and how badly you want it. Whether you’re male or female, the opportunity is there; it’s about whether you’re willing to put in the sacrifice and hard work to achieve it,” he said.
As for now, Alessia’s focus is firmly on the 2026 NPLW Victoria season with Essendon well entrenched in the top six as the second half of the campaign approaches.
“I think our goal is to finish on top and claim the Premiership Plate, continue our run, make finals and put our best foot forward in the Championship race,” she concluded.