The Women's National Soccer League (WNSL) was Australia's top women's association football league. Originally known as the Ansett Australia Summer Series for sponsorship reasons, the WNSL began in 1996 consisting of six clubs and continued through until 2004, folding alongside the National Soccer League. It was not until 2008 that a women's top flight league was re-established in Australia, named the W-League, as of the 2021–22 season renamed A-League Women.
Soccer in the Australian Capital Territory is predominantly amateur with a local, interstate, national and international history. Football in the ACT is organised and administered by Capital Football and involves teams from within the ACT and surrounding NSW regions, Monaro, Southern Tablelands and Riverina.
Heather Ann Garriock is an Australian former soccer player and coach. Garriock played as a midfielder in a career based mostly in Australia. Her last stint as a player was for Western Sydney Wanderers of the Australian W-League. Garriock played 130 matches for the Australian women's national team, appearing at two Olympic football tournaments and three FIFA Women's World Cups.
Lydia Grace Yilkari Williams is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for A-League Women club Melbourne Victory and the Australia national team.
Grace Gill-McGrath is a retired Australian soccer player who now works as a commentator.
Gillian Foster née Thomson is an Australian soccer player who played for Canberra Eclipse in the Women's National Soccer League (WNSL) and Central Coast Mariners in the W-League. She is currently a midfielder.
Taryn Rockall is an Australian soccer player. She played for the NSW Sapphires in the Women's National Soccer League (WNSL), Arsenal in the FA Women's Premier League and later for the Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League during the 2008–09 season. She won the Julie Dolan Medal twice, in 2001–02 and 2004–05, as best player in the WNSL.
Selin Kuralay is an Australian soccer player of Turkish ancestry. She plays at national league level for Australian W-League team Melbourne Victory.
Catherine Cannuli is an Australian soccer coach and former player who is coach of the Western Sydney Wanderers in the W-League. She played national league football in the Women's National Soccer League for the NSW Sapphires and the W-League for Sydney FC, Brisbane Roar and Western Sydney Wanderers. She also played for Inter Lions in the NSW Women's Premier League. She also played four times for Australia.
Kim Marie Carroll is a retired Australian soccer player who played in the A-League Women for Perth Glory and for Brisbane Roar, as well as playing for Fortuna Hjørring in the Danish Women's League. She has also played over 50 matches for Australia.
Dimitra Tsiliaskopoulos, better known as Dimi Poulos is an Australian soccer goalkeeper who last played for Western Sydney Wanderers in the W-League, as an injury replacement for Young Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold.
The Julie Dolan Medal is awarded annually to the player voted to be the best player in the highest women's soccer league in Australia. The medal has been presented to players in the W-League and previously in the Women's National Soccer League (WNSL). The medal is named after former Matilda's Captain and football administrator Julie Dolan. The format was changed for the 2015–16 season, with a panel featuring former players, media, referees and technical staff, who voted on each regular-season match.
Lisa Maree Casagrande is an Australian retired footballer. She played at the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1995 and 1999, and at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Sacha Wainwright is an Australian retired soccer defender who played for the Australia women's national soccer team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. At the club level, she played for Canberra Eclipse.
The 2003 Women's National Soccer League, known as the Ansett Summer Series under a sponsorship arrangement with Ansett Australia, was the eighth season of the Women's National Soccer League, the Australian national women's soccer competition. The season was played over 10 rounds followed by a grand final match between the top two teams. Queensland Sting finished first in the league however second-placed NSW Sapphires were crowned champions after winning the grand final.
The Western Waves Football Club were a short-lived West Australian women's association football club that played only one season in the former Women's National Soccer League.
The 2000–01 season was the 32nd season of national competitive association football in Australia and 118th overall. From July 2000 to June 2001, it was a highly active period for Australian Soccer. The Socceroos participated in their second FIFA Confederations Cup, defying expectations yet again by finishing third, after finishing runners-up in the 1997 edition. They also broke several international records during World Cup Qualification in beating Tonga and America Samoa 22–0 and 31–0 respectively. The Matildas competed in the 2000 Olympic Games. Domestically, Wollongong Wolves won their second consecutive and overall National Soccer League grand final, in addition to winning the 2001 Oceania Club Championship and the NSW Sapphires were unbeaten in the Women's National Soccer League, with the grand final being won by the Canberra Eclipse.
The Queensland Sting(founded in 1996 as the Queensland Academy of Sport) were a women's association football club that represented the state of Queensland, Australia in the now-defunct Women's National Soccer League. During the 8-seasons of the competition, the Sting won 4 championships making them the most successful club in WNSL history.
The Adelaide Sensation were a former women's association football club that represented the state of South Australia in the now-defunct Women's National Soccer League. The club had moderate success throughout the tenure of the competition, winning one title in the 1998–1999, and finishing as runners up in the 1996, 1997 and 1999 seasons.
The NSW Sapphires were a women's association football club that represented the State of New South Wales in the Women's National Soccer League which ran between 1996 and 2004. Throughout the 9 seasons that the competition ran, the Sapphires won 3 Championships and were also runners up on 3 occasions, making them one of the most successful teams in the short-lived league.
