The 2024 Armidale Women’s Premier League campaign continues tonight following last week’s kick off, and the action will be spread across three days in round two.
Defending champions Armidale City Westside will challenge Norths United Red at Harris Park on Friday night while Inverell FC hosts last season’s grand finalists South Stars at Inverell Sporting Complex.
Armidale City Westside, Norths United White and Inverell FC all kicked off their campaigns in dominant fashion last week. Westside beat East Armidale United 18-0 while Norths United White prevailed 9-0 against South Stars on Friday night before Inverell introduced themselves to the competition with a 5-0 victory over Norths United Red.
Kate Eldering is back on board for her second season as coach of Armidale City Westside and the defender advised that they have entered the season feeling confident and well-gelled after travelling to compete at the Nambucca Strikers Challenge Cup during the pre-season in March.
She was proud of Westside’s start following an 18-0 win in round one and is excited for the season ahead.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Eldering said of the season finally kicking off following a long off-season.
“It was a pretty good start for us.
“We’ve got about four new girls this year. A couple have come back, and a couple have moved to the area. They have all added to the team.
“Our backline has always been pretty strong, but we’ve kind of bolstered it now.
“Our goalkeeper was solid in our first game, but our midfielders really controlled the game, so there wasn’t a whole lot for us at the back to do.
“It was a good start, especially for our younger players. We have two girls up front, one turned 16 the other day and the other is 15, and they were fantastic. The best part of the win was seeing them step up and own their roles.”
After leading Armidale City Westside to championship glory last season, Eldering said that being there on grand final day was her side’s goal this year. However, she acknowledged that the competition has gotten stronger this year and her side would have to work hard to defend their 2023 crown.
Many eyes will be on one of the sides that have helped strengthen the competition on Friday, that being Inverell FC. The 2024 Johnson Cup winners were dominant in their first Armidale Women’s Premier League match as they piled on five goals while keeping a clean sheet, and many are curious to see how they back that up tonight against the Stars who are looking to rebound from a big loss in their season opener.