Northern NSW Football is delighted to announce the Van Egmond Medal to recognise its NPL Women’s NNSW Player of the Year.
The Van Egmond Medal will be awarded to the NPL Women’s NNSW Player of the Year in honour of Matildas centurion and Dudley Redhead United FC junior Emily van Egmond from this season.
The new award will also see the renaming of NNSWF’s premier competitions awards event in honour of two legendary northern NSW footballers.
The Van Egmond Jennings Awards will be held for the first time on Saturday 7 October at NEX Newcastle.
The annual awards event for the NPL Men’s NNSW and NPL Women’s NNSW competitions, as well as the HIT106.9 Northern League One competition, have been renamed to celebrate two of our greatest ever players.
Emily is one of northern NSW football’s greatest ever products. She became the eighth player to reach 100 caps for the Matildas in 2021 having made her debut for the national team against Korea in a friendly in Brisbane in 2010 aged 16.
The 29-year-old has already played in three FIFA Women’s World Cups, with a fourth on the horizon at home next month.
Van Egmond has also played at two Olympic Games tournaments and three Asian Cups.
The Jennings Medal will remain as the NPL Men’s NNSW Player of the Year award in honour of NNSWF’s mostcapped Socceroo, Graham Jennings.
Jennings, who played 44 A-internationals for Australia, has had the award named in his honour since 2018.
Van Egmond said she was honoured to have the NPL Women’s NNSW Player of the Year award named after her.
“It’s a very special thing to be recognised in this way,” van Egmond said.
“It means a lot. To have my name attached to this award is a really humbling thing. It makes me really proud.
“Women’s football is going from strength to strength in northern NSW and it just keeps growing in terms of numbers and quality.
"Being a Newcastle local is something I’m extremely proud of and I hope to show young aspiring footballers in the community that it's possible to reach your dreams.
“I’m really excited to see the next generation of young girls from the northern NSW region hopefully be inspired by what the Matildas can do at this home World Cup and continue to take the game forward.”
NNSWF CEO Peter Haynes was thrilled to have van Egmond’s name associated with the awards.
“The Van Egmond Jennings Awards are a huge step forward for football in northern NSW and I’m delighted that Emily has accepted our offer to become part of it,” Haynes said.
“Emily deserves to be recognised for her outstanding career so far. She is a Dudley Redhead junior and has gone right to the top of the game thanks to her commitment, drive, dedication, talent and ability.
“Emily is absolutely what we want young girls in our region to aspire to. If you can see it, you can be it and Emily has shown young girls from northern NSW that anything is possible.”
