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.
Alen Stajcic is an Australian football manager and former player, and is the current manager of Perth Glory in the A-League. He was the head coach of the Philippine women's national football team from 2021 to 2023. While as a footballer he was a NSW Premier League player and an Australian Youth Representative.
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.
Danielle Jade Brogan is an Australian former soccer player who played in Australia and England. She played in Australia for Sydney FC, Adelaide United FC and Perth Glory in the Australian W-League. In England, Brogan played nine times for Notts County. At international level she represented Australia at both under-age and full international level. Brogan played seven times for Australia between 2009 and 2015.
Yesim Servet Uzunlar, known as Servet Uzunlar, is an Australian soccer player who most recently played for the Western Sydney Wanderers in the Australian W-League competition in the 2018–19 season, and with the Northern Tigers in the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s competition.
Joanne "Joey" Rebecca Burgess is an Australian international soccer player, who plays for the Taree Wildcats in the Mid North Coast League.
Michelle Pearl Heyman is an Australian soccer player and commentator who currently plays for Canberra United FC in the W-League in Australia. She became the all-time record goalscorer in the W-League in March 2021 after scoring her 73rd goal. She has previously played for W-League teams Central Coast Mariners, Sydney FC, and Adelaide United, as well as the Western New York Flash in the American National Women's Soccer League. Heyman has represented Australia since 2010, playing at the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup, the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. In May 2019, she retired from international football.
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.
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.
The Australia women's national soccer team is overseen by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) since leaving the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in 2006. The team's official nickname is "the Matildas" ; they were known as the "Female Socceroos" before 1995.
Julie Dolan is a pioneering Australian women's soccer player who appeared in eighteen international matches for the Australian Women's National Team during a 10-year career. She debuted in a national representative side aged just fourteen and was the first captain of the Australian Team
Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club is an Australian women's soccer club based in the western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 2012, it is the affiliated women's team of the A-League team Western Sydney Wanderers. The team currently competes in the A-League Women, the top tier of women's soccer in Australia.
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.
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.
Remy Dianne Siemsen is an Australian professional soccer player who plays for English Women's Super League club Leicester City and the Australia national team. She has represented Australia on the under-20 national team. Following her debut season in the W-League at the age of 16, she was named W-League Young Footballer of the Year.
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 Canberra Eclipse(founded in 1996 as the ACT Academy of Sport) were a women's association football club that represented the city of Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory in the now defunct Women's National Soccer League. The Canberra Eclipse played in all 8 seasons of the WNSL, winning the Championship during the 2001–02 season, and finishing runners up in 1998–99. The club featured several players that would go on to represent the Matildas, and are considered to be the forerunner for the professional W-League club Canberra United FC.
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.
