Zoe Askew – Sale United Women’s Captain 2023
A single person cannot win a game of football.
It takes a team, and gosh, I have a good team.
From coaches Madelaine Breakspear and Romi Bitar, who devote a tremendous amount of time and energy to training and educating a massive squad of 22 registered players, to individual players who have put in and continue to put in the hard yards, week in and week out, to our team manager Laurel Irvine, without who today’s team may never have existed.
While senior women’s numbers have flourished in recent years at Sale United, this wasn’t always the case. There was a time, spanning several consecutive seasons, that Sale United failed to pull together a women’s side. But that all changed in 2016 when SUFC’s mother hen, Laurel Irvine, worked her magic and convinced a group of soccer mums to join the team so that the 10 young girls who wanted to play were able to create a legitimate side.
So much has changed between my departure in 2017 and returning in a playing capacity for the 2023 season.
The Swanettes have gone from a bottom-ladder team to league champions playing for a club that fosters an equitable environment, valuing their female footballers as much as the men which Laurel, together with club secretary Darleen Richardson, senior women’s coaches Madeline Breakspear, Romi Bitar and senior men’s coach Anouk Meereboer have played fundamental roles in making happen.
Having defeated league champions Falcons in the quarter-finals and progressing to win the 2022 Browne-Huzier Cup Grand Final, Sale United senior women had a buzzing momentum heading into the 2023 season.
Despite having lost 11 players, 10 moving for university, while young Sammi Kent signed for Southern United in the National Premier League, the Swanettes had a surge of new blood through the likes of Naomi McPherson, Rebecca Stobie, Soreti Anderson, Chelsea Page, Abby Kemp and Madeleine Forbes, as well as myself.
Armed with a preseason weapon, a one Mr Romi Bitar, we started the year with a bang, becoming Sale’s first senior women’s team to win the Kendal Cup championship.
While I may love Romi’s preseason fitness training, relishing in the jelly legs, burning lungs and exertion-induced nausea, I am well aware not everyone feels the same. But while there may have been complaining, lots and lots of complaining, every player saw each task through. I would bet money that even those who dread Romi’s preseason would agree that every lap, every shuttle run, was absolutely, unequivocally worth it.
We continued to kick goals before the 2023 Latrobe Valley Soccer League even started, defeating rivals Fortuna in Round 1 of the Nike FC Cup and progressing to conquer State League 2 side St Albans Saints in Round 2.
Round 3 of the Nike FC Cup saw us lead State League 1 outfit Caroline Springs George Cross Football Club 2-0 at halftime, only to lose 5-3 in overtime. Regardless of the result, it was a win in the team’s eyes, knowing that we could match a highly physical metropolitan team ranked above us.
This injection of confidence, paired with an unwavering determination to win, drove us to secure high-scoring wins in the season’s opening matches. Since the season’s opening game, every player has worked hard for their teammate, demonstrating the continuously strengthening bond we created within the group.
Our midseason loss to East Gippsland was a tough pill to swallow, but in hindsight, I believe it was the wake-up call needed to refocus and reground us for the season’s second leg.
There is so much I have to say about this team I could easily fill every page of this paper.
But to keep it short and sweet, I will end by saying this.
In such a short period of time, this group of female footballers has gone from just that, a group of female footballers, to a football family. The creation of this connection has bolstered our on-field achievements this season and ultimately led us to win Sale’s first-ever LVSL senior women’s championship.
To the senior men, reserves and second division who have supported the team from day dot, you have played a fundamental role in our season. Your gameday presence and ongoing off-field endeavours to ensure equality have set the bar for other clubs within the league.
This team and this club will always hold a special place in my heart – thank you for 2023 Swanettes. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve next season.
SALE UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
Latrobe Valley Soccer League Senior Women’s League Champions 2023
Coaches: Madelaine Breakspear and Romi Bitar
Captain: Zoe Askew
President: Tom Breakspear
Secretary: Darleen Richardson
Treasurer: Cameron Irvine
Results
Round 1: Sale def Fortuna 2-1
Round 2: Sale def Tyers 5-0
Round 3: Sale def Monash 13-0
Round 4: Sale def Churchill 9-0
Round 5: Sale def Newb/Yall 8-1
Round 6: Sale def Moe 13-1
Round 7: Bye
Round 8: Sale def Traralgon City 7-0
Round 9: Sale def Pegasus 3 – 1
Round 10: Sale def Falcons 10-2
Round 11: East Gippsland def Sale 2-1
Round 12: Sale def Fortuna 8-0
Round 13: Sale def Tyers 1-0
Round 14: Sale def Monash 3-0
Round 15: Sale def Churchill 8-0
Round 16: Sale def Newb/Yall 5-1
Round 17: Sale def Moe 3-0
Round 18: Bye
Round 19: Sale def Traralgon City 14-0
Round 20: Sale def Pegasus 4-0
Round 21: Sale def Falcons 3-1
Round 22: Sale def East Gippsland 2-0
Honours
Browne-Huzier Cup Champions 2022
Kendal Cup Champions 2023
Gippstar Team of the Year 2022/23
