We also look at some team news ahead of the first round of the Oceania 2027 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers from Fiji and New Caledonia, including an exclusive interview with New Caledonia’s Women’s Development Director Charlotte Pelletier.
2025-26 Ninja A-League Women Mid-Season Review—Part 2
Melbourne Victory (5-2-7, 17 points, Tied for Seventh)
American Kennedy White (25) has had a very impactful first season in Australia, scoring eight goals from 14 games to sit third in the scorer’s table. She played at Bowling Green University (Northwestern Ohio) and Mississippi State University before playing for Gyori ETO of Hungary last season. Rhianna Pollicina (28) has six goals in her first season with MV for fifth in the scorers’ table after four seasons at Melbourne City, scoring 28 goals in 81 matches.
Courtney Newbon (25) in her second season with Melbourne Victory, has four shutouts in 14 games, playing every minute thus far this season. She has also played with Western Sydney, Perth and Central Coast since the 2019/20 season. She is a native of Hobart in Tasmania.
Perth Glory (5-2-6, 17 points, Tied for Eighth)
The Glory are trying to make the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. First year Glory forward Rola Badawiya—in her third year in the league, starting with Sydney FC in 2022-23—has three goals for the Glory. In 2022, she signed for Australian WNPL New South Wales league side Sydney University, where she made twenty-two league appearances, scored thirteen goals and was named NPL NSW Player of the Year.
She signed a two-year contract with the Glory ahead of this season. She also played at Central Coast Mariners. In 2024-25 she went to Portugal to play for SC Braga, scoring twice in 16 games.
Glory veteran Susan Phonsongkham (24)—in her fifth season with Perth after starting in the league in 2017-18 with WSW—also has three goals. Swiss-born and raised Nigerian international Onyinyechi Zogg (28) is back for her second season in Perth and has played in 12 games this season, after making 22 appearances last season.
She played one season at Monroe Community College in the U.S. and has played professionally in France, Germany and at home in Switzerland before coming to Australia. She was capped twice by Nigeria in 2021.
Newcastle Jets (5-1-7, 16 points, Ninth)
The Jets likely won’t make the playoffs but they are doing better than usual this season as they have won as many games this year to date as they did all of last season (5-5-13 W-D-L for 20 points in 2024-25).
Australian U-20 international Melina Ayers (who started in the league at the age of 16 in the 2015-16 season with Melbourne City) has scored four goals. New Zealand international Charolotte Lancaster (22)—who played two seasons with Wellington Phoenix—has three goals as does Jets veteran Lauren Allan (29), who has been with the club since 2019-20 and New Zealand international forward Kelli Brown (24), who also has scored three goals in 12 matches and is in her third A-League Women season after playing with Wellington in 2023-24 and then Perth in 2024-25. English-born midfielder Libby Copus-Brown (28), who first started playing for the Jets in 2013 and, in two stints, has 95 appearances with six goals—she has one goal in 12 games this season.
Lancaster was called into New Zealand’s senior squad for the first time early in February ahead of the 2027 Oceania Regional WWC qualifiers. Fellow New Zealander Anna Leat (24) has two shutouts in goal this season, her first with the Jets after playing at Georgetown University in the States and with West Ham and Aston Villa in the WSL.
Sydney FC (2-6-5, 12 points, Tied for Tenth)
Sydney FC’s big issue this season is scoring—their leading scorer is American-born Panamanian international Riley Tanner (26), who we interviewed last season when she played for Spokane Zephyr in the first year of the USL Super League (see link at: The Week in Women's Football: Spokane Zephyr in focus; how the USL Super League franchise exceeding expectations - TribalFootball.com).
Sydney FC looks likely for a second consecutive season of missing the playoffs, though the big issue this year is they lead the league in ties and have only scored eight goals the lowest total in the season. The club is clearly missing Australian WNT forward Princess Ibini, who played for the club from 2015 (debuting as a 15-year-old) through last season, winning three league titles and three Premierships while scoring 31 goals in 163 appearances across all competitions for the Sky Blues. She is now playing in Turkey with Besiktas.
American goalkeeper Heather Hinz (24) has four shutouts in seven games while Tianha Robertson (22) has three shutouts in seven games this season; their defense is tied with Canberra for third best in the league with 14 goals allowed, behind Wellington (9 allowed) and Melbourne City (11 allowed). Hinz played at the University of South Carolina and then spent time with the Houston Dash of NWSL and then on loan to Fort Lauderdale of the USL Super League. Robertson had 12 total appearances in goal for the Jets in 2023-24 and 2024-25 and has played in the State League in the off-season with the Emerging Jets, the University of New South Wales and NWS Spirit last season.
Western Sydney Wanderers (3-3-7, 12 points, Tied for Tenth)
In early February, the Wanderers announced that forward Holly Caspers would miss the rest of the season due to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear against Sydney FC. Also that month, midfielder Chloe Logarzo Berryhill announced that she will retire from professional football earlier than she had plan, after scans confirmed she sustained an ACL, LCL and tendon avulsion injury in the club’s 1-1 tie at home with Brisbane Roar on January 16.
Berryhill, a native of the Western Sydney area, started her career with cross-town rival Sydney FC, winning two Championships (2012/13 and 2018/19 seasons). She also played at Western United. Abroad she spent time with Sweden’s Eskilstuna United and Norway’s Avaldsnes, Bristol City in the WSL in England, and in the U.S. with the Kansas City Current and Washington Spirit, before most recently competing in Italy with Como 1907. Internationally, Chloe represented the Matildas in 59 matches—scoring eight goals—and was on finals squads at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Western Sydney Wanderers CEO Scott Hudson reflected on Chloe’s impact: “Chloe has been nothing short of extraordinary, not only as a footballer but as a human being. From her early breakthrough in the domestic competition to her outstanding international career with the Matildas, Chloe has showcased brilliance, bravery and genuine leadership. While this injury brings her playing days to a close earlier than we all hoped, her legacy is forever ingrained in Australian football. Chloe has inspired teammates, young fans and communities everywhere. We thank her for every moment she graced the pitch and lifted the spirit of our sport.”
Before the start of the 2025-26 season, the club signed two Chinese internationals in Wang Ying and Yuan Cong, who both played at Guangdong at home.
The pair arrive in Western Sydney at a time when Asian football is firmly in the spotlight, with the upcoming 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia in March.
Forward Yuan Cong was called into the Chinese National Team set-up for the 2025 Pinatar Cup in Spain, while defender Wang Ying, has made four senior appearances for China since her debut in 2019. WSW head coach Geoff Abrahams said the signings underline the Wanderers international ambitions: “We’re delighted to welcome Wang Ying and Yuan Cong to Western Sydney. Both players bring international quality, professionalism and experience at the highest level. Their arrival also highlights the importance of Asia in the growth of women’s football, something we’ve seen reinforced by the upcoming (Women’s) Asian Cup, which will showcase the depth and strength of talent across the region. This is an exciting moment for our club and the league.”
Veteran Australian goalkeeper Sham Kharmis (30) has two shutouts. She started her career with Sydney FC in 2011-12. She has played for Western Sydney in two different stints, as well as Canberra United and Melbourne Victory in a brief loan spell in 2020.
Oceania Women’s World Cup Group Qualifiers News
Later this month, Oceania is hosting two four team groups in Solomon Islands and Fiji for the 2027 Regional Qualifiers for the 2027 WWC in Brazil (see more in last week’s column in the Victoria Esson interview: The Week in Women's Football: Victoria Esson exclusive; A-League deep-dive - TribalFootball.com).
New Caledonia—interview with Women’s Football Development Director Charlotte Pelletier
New Caledonia’s Cagou WNT head coach Christelle Wahnawe named her 23 player roster which will leave for Fiji on February 21, playing the host side on February 27, then Vanuatu on March 2 and finally Papua New Guinea in their last group game on March 5. Six of the players were called in from teams in France below the top tier, which Wahnawe explained: “The integration of players playing in mainland France is part of a desire to strengthen the team in order to bring experience and raise the overall level of the group for the next events.”
These players include: Christine Alikie (Cercle Paul Bert Bréquigny), Henriette Nena (Foyer Espérance de Trélazé), Jackie Pahoa (Montaigu VF Futsal), Marie-Laure Palene (Le Mans FC, D2), Caroline Naaoutchoue (Jacou Clapiers FA) and Prescilla Maillot (SC Notre Dame des Champs).
The other player are from sides in New Caledonia’s women’s league: seven play for AS Wetr, four with Drehu AC, three for SC Ne Drehu, two players come from Paita FC and one plays for ASAF. See the full roster below in the graphic:
TribalFootball.com talked exclusively to Charlotte Pelletier on February 12, who formerly played with New Caledonia’s women’s national team, graduated from the University of New Caledonia, was the Technical Director of club side Paita FC and a referee and now is the Women’s Football Development Manager of the New Caledonia Football Federation. In 2017 she was the assistant coach for the U-16 side for the WWC Qualifiers, held in Samoa. New Caledonia made the Final but lost to New Zealand 6-0 and missed out on the FIFA U-17 Finals in Uruguay as Oceania was only allocated one spot.
We had a fascinating conversation about the upcoming regional 2027 WWC qualifiers, the state of the game in New Caledonia and hopes for the future. Pelletier said, about the important OFC WWC qualifiers which start this month: “We have good chances to qualify despite few preparations we have had because of the conditions here (Protests broke out in May 2024 in New Caledonia, resulting in deaths and a state of emergency in the French overseas collective. Many residents were upset about a controversial voting reform which would prevent up to 20% of people from voting in provincial elections, though they could still vote in French national elections.)
"It’s been a difficult period here; it’s been two years since we have had a (women) national team (play)… Most of our players—compared to other teams that have qualified—are quite young and most are U-19’s with the team that qualified for the U-20 WWC this year in Poland.”
(New Caledonia finished second to New Zealand in the OFC U-19 regional championship on October 4, 2025 in Tahiti, but both teams advanced to this summer’s finals, with New Caledonia earning their first ever appearance at a FIFA Women’s Finals tournament.
Pelletier then discussed the three national teams that they will face: “For Fiji, they are a good team; we see them as the top of the ladder. Their girls are physical, put a great intensity into the game. They play a traditional game (and) they are going very quickly forward (in attack). For us, they are maybe the best team in the group. (With) Papua New Guinea, they won the last competition (defeating Fiji 2-1 in Suva in the last OFC Women’s Nations Cup in 2022, which doubled as regional WWC qualifiers)… They are a bit less strong than Fiji. They do good pressing and are very good at 1 v 1. (For) Vanuatu, we talk about them as a team in process. They have to develop… Players are very strong in the fight, very strong together. Vanuatu are less powerful and maybe the less dangerous team for us (than the other two sides).”
Their roster (see above) includes six players who are playing with teams in France. She explained that: “We have one player from Division 2 and five from France’s D3 regional league. Two are new while the other four played in New Caledonia before moving to France. When asked how the coaches integrate their France-based players into the team, she said: “We follow-up with them to give advices and observations for those players. We have some people there in France…The distance is difficult—between France and New Caledonia there is a 10 hours’ time difference. It is most difficult for us to have a direct relationship set-up to take them and make a team.”
The two new players are from New Caledonia’s diaspora community in France but they have had no acceptance problems by their teammates. Pelletier said: “They don’t hesitate (to commit to us). They are proud to be here… New Caledonia is friendly and very open-minded. There is no difficulty to make a team. There could be a problem with men; they feel threatened because they are professionals. Women are easier to manage.”
I asked about the new OFC Professional League on the men’s side that we discussed last month (see: The Week in Women's Football: Reviewing UK World Cup Bid & new Oceania book - TribalFootball.com) and whether that platform could be a model for the region to build add professional women’s teams across Oceania. Note: New Caledonia does not have a team in the OFC Professional League but Tahiti—the largest island of French Polynesia and also a French collective—is a member.
She said without hesitation: “For sure it would be a good opportunity for us to have those professional teams. For women, we are not capable to do that now; we don’t have enough quality players, not enough professionals. We are in development and can’t do a professional championship before developing our teams here and having more and more players—more and more young players—to make a reach championship. We have to develop more before creating a professional team. We need more progress before that."
New Caledonia’s women’s senior football league currently has seven teams and runs from March to December, comprising two rounds, with the champions advancing to compete in the OFC Women’s Champions League; there is also a Cup and futsal competition for women. New Caledonian side AS Academy (Association Sportive Academy Féminine or ASAF) actually won the first OFC WCL in 2023, with PNG’s Hekari United second in the five team group matches that decided the title. In 2024 and 2025 Auckland United defeated Hekari United in the finals (1-0 both years). In 2024 ASAF made the eight team tournament. New Caledonia did not enter a team last year due to the political turmoil in the nation. Pelletier explained that ASAF is the only independent women’s team in the country, with the other teams having both male and female sides.
Finally, we asked what else can be done to help the women’s game grow in New Caledonia and she focused on younger players and coaches: “Develop grassroots football in clubs. We need female players to start football earlier; if they start at 6-7 years old, it is better for us. We have to give them some championships or activities for U-13 to U-16 and so on, to make them better. We also need female coaches as well.”
Fiji
Fiji signed veteran women’s national team head coach Nicola Demaine to coach the Kulas for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Oceania Qualifiers. Demaine, a native of England, led Papua New Guinea to the 2022 OFC Women’s Nations Cup title, which qualified them for the 2023 WWC Intercontinental Playoffs, but bizarrely the PNG federation let her go before the 10 nation FIFA playoffs for three final spots at the finals—so much for rewarding winning and staying loyal to successful coaches.
During that tournament, this column had regular communication with Nicola, as well as when FIFA was determining the seeded teams for the playoffs. She has also coached the national sides of Samoa and Bhutan last year (see more from our column last year: The Week in Women's Football: Loza Abera exclusive; Bhutan; Super League excitement - TribalFootball.com). This month, she has had 22 local players in camp and: “The girls have been doing endurance training, they were in the gym yesterday, and we’ve also had some really good on-field sessions.”
With limited time before the qualifiers, Demaine says the focus has been on simplifying key aspects of play. “We don’t have a lot of time, so we’re keeping things nice and simple. We’ve been working on how we want to play when we build up from the back, and this week we’ll focus on how we’re going to defend. Finishing is something we work on every week.”
She also expects to bring in some players based abroad: “We’re hoping to get some overseas players joining us as soon as possible, maybe sometime next week.”
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on X: @TimGrainey