Northern NSW Football’s Women’s State Cup will return in 2023, with registrations now open for clubs.
The Women’s State Cup started in 2017 as a development opportunity for Women’s Premier League and community football players.
Teams play off in a three-day tournament, including NPL Women's NNSW clubs, community football teams and a NNSWF Indigenous representative team made up of Indigenous players from across northern NSW.
2023 NNSWF Women’s State Cup
Dates: Friday 7 to Sunday 9 July 2023.
Location: Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
Eligibility: The competition is open to all for senior women’s clubs. This includes -
- All clubs that are members of NNSWF Premier Competitions.
- All clubs that are members of a NNSWF Zone Competitions.
- Clubs will be permitted to enter only one team per club.
Players
- Clubs are permitted to register a maximum of 18 players and a minimum of 12 players for the tournament.
- Minimum age: Players must be turning 15 in 2023.
Fees
- $300 per club (GST inclusive).
- Fee covers player registration and match official fees for the tournament.
Structure
- Northern NSW Football reserves the right to adjust or alter the tournament format as required subject to participating team numbers.
- Similar to previous seasons, the tournament will be completed over a round robin group phase followed by a knockout finals series and a play-off phase including a Community Women’s Plate.
Registration
- Registrations are now open and close 9 June 2023.
- Lodge your Expression of Interest to represent your community and culture as part of NNSWF’s Indigenous Team.
History of Northern NSW Football Women's State Cup
2017
The Women’s State Cup was established as a strategic initiative in Northern NSW Football’s 2016-2019 Strategic Plan as a development opportunity for Women’s Premier League and community league players.
It was also the first step in preparing the local women’s competition to move towards a national Women’s FFA Cup as states across Australia moved to align their premier women’s competitions with the National Premier Leagues (NPL) format.
Sixteen teams participated in the inaugural competition made up of community, WPL and composite teams from regional zones. WPL club Warners Bay FC took out the inaugural title.
2018
2018 included the introduction of new awards including player of the matches for finals and a player of the tournament.
The event also included a team dinner on the Saturday night of the tournament for players to be able to network and meet on a more social basis.
2018 Women’s State Cup Champions: Adamstown Rosebud JFC
Player of the Match (Semi-Final 1): Maggie Quinn - Adamstown Rosebud JFC
Player of the Match (Semi-Final 2): Sophie Milton - Wallsend FC
Player of the Series: (Final): Libby Copus-Brown - Wallsend FC
2019
Sixteen teams took part in the TAFE NSW Women’s State Cup with the largest number of community teams participating, reflective of the ever-increasing participation levels of females playing football. To encourage and support these teams Northern NSW Football announced the introduction of the Community Plate.
The Community Plate was contested by the best performing community teams during the tournament which did not progress to the finals.
Events like this provide more chances for women to enjoy football and move towards ensuring that opportunities for females reflect those available to male players.
2020
The Women’s State Cup was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19.
2021
In 2021 Maitland FC celebrated its inaugural season defeating Newcastle Olympic FC in the final to be crowned Women’s State Cup champions.
2022
The 2022 Women's State Cup saw the entry of a NNSWF Indigenous representative team into the competition. The team was made up of talented players from clubs across the region.
The final was a tightly contested match between defending champions Maitland FC and Charlestown Azzurri in testing weather conditions, with Charlestown Azzurri crowned champions.
Cassie Corder was named player of the final.
In the Women's State Cup Community Plate final it was Urunga FC taking the honours over Cooks Hill United FC.
Women's State Cup champions:
2017 – Warners Bay FC
2018 – Adamstown Rosebud JFC
2019 – Wallsend FC
2020 – Cancelled due to COVID-19
2021 – Maitland FC
2022 – Charlestown Azzurri FC