WAIS women’s football coach John Gibson has stepped up preparations for his Perth Glory Women team, after the club announced their first signings for the Westfield W-League 2009 season.
Gibson has been assessing a number of potential players over the past six weeks and has confirmed his first 12 signings, including four new faces led by former Matildas and South Australian ‘keeper Emma Wirkus.
The Perth side has been able to retain the services of highly rated youngsters Sam Kerr, Marianna Tabain and Ella Mastrantonio, a coup that Gibson believes will help Glory’s continuing development.
“Retaining Sam, Marianna and Ella was crucial for us in season two of the Westfield W-League and I am delighted that they will once again be pulling on the purple of Perth Glory after being approached by a number of eastern states based clubs in the offseason” said Glory head coach John Gibson.
“The signing of South Australian based ‘keeper, Emma Wirkus, will add further strength to our defensive line, and her experience in the Matildas set up and in the inaugural W-League with Adelaide United last year will be great for us.”
“Emma will be joined by fellow defenders and new recruits Elissia Canham from Queensland and local Sadie Lawrence, who have been brought into the squad along with Ellis Glanfield, so we have some exciting new youngsters to complement our more experienced players” Gibson said.
Those experienced players include inaugural captain and Most Glorious Women’s Player Tanya Oxtoby and tenacious midfielders Elisa D’Ovidio, Dani Calautti and Shannon May, who will all be looking to build on the first season of the Westfield W-League and secure a first finals berth for the team.
Perth Glory have eight positions left in the squad, and Gibson will look to complete the remaining signings in the next few weeks, including those of star Matildas players Lisa De Vanna and Collette McCallum, both of whom are in discussions with the Glory about loan arrangements from their current US based women’s teams Washington Freedom and Sky Blues.
Gibson – who was a member of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic squad – is in the final process of selecting his WAIS football scholarship holders, with a significant proportion of those athletes expected to feature prominently for the Glory in 2009.
Glory’s first match is away to Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium on Saturday 3 October.
– With Football West
