Northern NSW Football has announced the recipients of its 2022 NNSWF Talented Indigenous Scholarships.
The scholarships are designed to support talented Indigenous players, coaches and referees from across northern NSW.
Larissa Ryan and James Semmens were awarded the female and male player scholarships, while Edward Moncrieff and Tallan Martin received the referee and coach scholarships respectively.
Ryan plays for Newcastle Olympic and was chosen in the Newcastle All-Stars team that reached the final of the NSW First Nations Football Tournament at Nowra.
She travels to Newcastle from Forster with her mother three times per week for football.
Semmens plays Premier Youth League for Mid Coast FC and also represented Newcastle All-Stars at the NSW First Nations Football Tournament.
He also received the coach’s award last season where his under-14s Mid Coast FC team made the grand final.
Moncrieff started refereeing in 2021 on Junior Development League football and as an assistant referee in the NPL youth grades.
He has since progressed to refereeing NPLW NNSW under-13s matches and received a merit award for commitment to refereeing from NNSWF.
Martin, who coaches at South Cardiff FC, has coached the Newcastle All-Stars Men’s team since 2018.
NNSWF Female Participation and Inclusion Officer Natalie Boyd said the purpose of the NNSWF Talented Indigenous Scholarships was to help Indigenous players, coaches and match officials progress their football journey.
“These recipients will be role models for the next generation of Indigenous players, coaches and referees and will hopefully inspire others from their community,” Boyd said.
“We want to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, coaches and referees across football while creating more opportunities for them to engage in professional development and this is a chance to identify and showcase the next generation who have the potential to achieve at the highest levels of the game.
“Congratulations to the recipients we wish them all the best for their future in football.”
