| Full name | NSW Sapphires FC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Dissolved | 2005 |
| Ground | Various (see home grounds for further info) |
| Owner | Football NSW NSW Institute of Sport |
| Chairman | Unknown |
| Senior Women's Manager | Alen Stajcic |
| League | Women's National Soccer League |
| 2004 | 3rd (3) |
The NSW Sapphires (formerly known as the NSW Institute of Sport) 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.
The NSW Sapphires had several players who would go onto represent the Matildas at international level, in addition to winning the prestigious Julie Dolan Medal.
With the foundation of the Women's National Soccer League in 1994, The NSW Institute of Sport was selected to be the representative for New South Wales and in particular Sydney. Later on in the competition, along with the other clubs they would drop their Institute of Sport names for NSW Sapphires, in favour of more marketable monikers. [1]
The Sapphires would be one of the strongest teams in the competition, winning their first silverware in the 1997–98 season, [2] with experienced Matilda Julie Murray winning the 1998-1999 Julie Dolan Medal. [3] The Spphires would go on to win 2 more championships during the 1999, and 2003 season, in addition to being runners-up in 3 consecutive season in 2000/01, 2001/02 and 2002/03 losing each final 0–1, to Queensland Sting and Canberra Eclipse FC. [4]
The Sapphires would have further players represent them at the highest level in addition to being recognised for their contribution to the women's game, with Joanne Peters and Taryn Rockall receiving the Julie Dolan medal. [5]
Despite having been defunct for almost 20 years, Football NSW paid tribute to the success and history of the club by naming the new women's state knockout cup the Sapphire Cup. [6]
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 2002-2004 | Alen Stajcic |
WNSL Champions (3): 1997–98, 1999, 2003
Runners-up (3): 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03The Women's National Soccer League (WNSL) was Australia's top women's soccer 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 Western Sydney Wanderers 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.
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