AFF/AUCKLAND – Football Ferns pair Marlies Oostdam and Rebecca Tegg are part of the Melbourne Victory squad for the inaugural W-League Australian women’s football competition kicking off next weekend.
Oostdam and Tegg, who have had busy seasons – with both recovering from serious knee injuries in time to represent New Zealand at the Beijing Olympics, will be part of the debut of the women’s competition which all but mirrors the men’s A-League.
The only A-League team without a presence in the W-League is the Wellington Phoenix with their spot taken by Canberra United in the 10-round competition which will be followed by a top-four final series culminating in the January 17 Grand Final.
Oostdam says the move to Melbourne for the competition happened quickly around the time the Football Ferns’ left back was preparing to depart with the New Zealand side bound for the Olympics.
“Just prior to leaving for the Olympics, my friend who plays in goal for the Matildas [Australia] got in touch with me to see if I’d be interested in coming over,” Oostdam said.
“At the time I didn’t fully look into it as I had an Olympics to concentrate on but after our return from China, the Melbourne Victory coach [Matt Shepherd] got in touch with me and it went on from there.
“Within a month I was off to Melbourne!”
The quick-fire relocation to Melbourne was made easier for Oostdam as she lived in the city in 2000 and she and partner Bevin are currently staying with friends until they move into their own apartment.
The temporary nature of Oostdam’s accommodation reflects the initial footing of the entire W-League competition she will be part of as her deal with the Victory is only for the inaugural season with Football Federation Australia trialling the new league in its first year with no guarantees beyond that.
But they’ve got some big pieces in place already with shopping mall giants Westfield on board as the major sponsor and Australian television network ABC carrying live coverage of the competition’s matches.
And Oostdam is relishing the chance to prove herself in the new competition and is looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“It’s been really exciting coming over here. It’s all new to me; a different style of play, different people and coaches.”
“I can’t wait to compare myself and our team against the other teams in the league as they will be very strong.
We’ve got a very young squad and have only one Matilda in our squad (the goalkeeper), whereas all the other teams will have five to 10 Australian internationals.
“Our first match will be the curtain-raiser to the men’s team at the Telstra Dome. What more could you want?
“It’ll be amazing!”
The Melbourne Victory W-League campaign kicks off with their home match against the Central Coast Mariners on Saturday 25 October.
Story courtesty of Auckland Football