The FV Academy Senior Women’s program officially graced the pitch for the last time on Saturday, August 30, closing the door on a remarkable legacy in Victoria’s top-flight, one which was introduced thanks to the influence of Australian coaching royalty.
It was a storybook finish for the Senior Women, who ended their campaign with back-to-back wins, capped off by striker Jasmine Millar’s 95th-minute penalty to secure a 2-1 victory in their final match.
While senior programs had existed prior to 2011, most notably via ITC Victoria and Victoria Vision which helped unearth Matildas Louisa Bisby, Melissa Barbieri and Selin Kuralay, the development of the pathway model which delivered the next generation of Victorian stars can be found in the introduction of the Victorian Champions League in 2008. Initially known as the Summer League, the competition was an adjunct to the winter junior season, providing a year-long development program for Victoria’s finest Boys and Girls.
The concept was introduced a year earlier by Eric Hollingsworth and Ange Posteocglou, who was brought to Football Victoria during a hiatus in his remarkable coaching journey in 2007. The impact of Postecoglou’s influence was immediate, albeit truncated once a change in leadership and strategy saw the program disband within a couple of seasons. While the VCL would suffer an eventual demise, the Emerging Athletes Program would rise in its place, with the first iteration of the senior team making its debut in the 2011 Women’s Premier League, Kariah White etching her name in the history books as the program’s first ever scorer.
The youthful team featured Matilda in waiting Beattie Goad and Cindy Lay, who spent three seasons with Melbourne Victory before clocking over a century of appearances in the NPLW with several of Victoria’s leading clubs. Victorian representative and emerging coach Kat Smith took the reins of the program in 2013, showcasing future Matilda Adriana Taranto and Junior Matildas Alex Natoli and Alyssia Blewonski, steering the team to a mid-table finish with eight wins.
2014 saw the NTC Under-17 Girls enter the Victorian Women’s Premier League under the guidance of current CommBank Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro. Debuts to future Young Matildas Melinda Barbieri and Annabel Martin were instrumental in another strong season from the youngest team in the league. In the final year of the Victorian Women’s Premier League, the rebranded Senior NTC, again coached by Montemurro, recorded another seven-win season, featuring NPLW mainstays Barbieri, Akeisha Sandhu, Natasha Dakic and Ash Lefevre.
With the introduction of the NPLW in 2016, the Senior NTC program transitioned to the new competition under Stefan Busso. The squad once again achieved seven wins, highlighted by 15-year-old Victorian Matilda Kyra Cooney-Cross scoring four goals alongside U23 Australian representatives Sofia Sakalis and Holly Furphy.
The following seasons saw steady contributions, with the squad recording four wins in 2017 and improving to six wins in 2018, highlighted by Cooney-Cross setting a squad record of 15 goals in a season and Alana Jancevski scoring a record four goals in a single 6-0 victory over Southern United. Five more wins arrived in 2019, including their biggest-ever triumph, a 7-0 victory once again over Southern United.
After the global pandemic put paid to all football at the turn of the decade, the program’s flagship team returned as FV Emerging in 2021, recording seven wins in an ultimately abandoned season, with Victorian Matilda Alana Murphy making her senior debut.
2022 marked FV Emerging’s most successful season, achieving tens wins under Helen Winterburn and reaching the semi-final before falling to eventual champions Calder United. Captain Isabella Sewards celebrated her 100th match, ultimately setting a record of 110 appearances for the Emerging squad.
The 2023 season witnessed Santi Escudero take charge mid-season, finishing in tenth place with four wins. His first full season in charge, FV finished ninth with seven wins and enjoyed their best Nike FC Cup run, reaching the semi-finals before elimination at the hands of eventual champions Bulleen Lions.
Their final season was a mixed bag of results, with several key players departing amid uncertainty over the future. The side finished with five wins including back-to-back victories to close out their NPLW tenure.
In the final rounds, Anika Dovaston and Charlotte Hrehoresin shared the captain’s armband, leading a squad filled with potential future stars of Australian football. Fiorina Iaria capped off the season by securing the Golden Boot, while rising striker Kaya Jugovic offered a glimpse of the next generation, captaining the Junior Matildas while spearheading the academy’s attack.
In all, since the senior program began in 2011, over 200 players emerged through the talented player pathway, with several Matildas, and countless more representing Australia at Youth (Under 20) and Junior (Under 17) level. The number which transitioned into the W-League and A-League Women’s competition are too numerous to mention, with almost all of them making their home in the NPLW in some form or another.
Victoria’s latest Matilda, Adriana Taranto, echoes the sentiment on how invaluable the program was in her own development.
Playing in the NTC program throughout my formative years was an unforgettable experience. Surrounded by world-class coaches and teammates who became lifelong friends, I grew not only as a player but as a person. The memories made, the lessons learned, and the support I received have shaped who I am today. I will always cherish my time in this incredible Victorian program and carry its impact with me forever.
Football Victoria extends its gratitude to all the players, coaches, administrators, parents and volunteers who made the FV Academy and the NTC program a truly remarkable success. If the next iteration of Women and Girls football development can replicate their achievements, the future of the game in Victoria looks brighter than ever.