As far as first impressions go, the coach signing towards a potential Shepparton women’s side could hardly get things off on a better note.
The club has announced the arrival of American import Haley Johnson, who has racked up some more than noteworthy numbers since arriving in the country to play football in Melbourne this year.
Plying her trade at a partner club of Shepparton’s in the Preston Lions, Johnson tore through defences with aplomb and took out the NPL Victoria Women’s golden boot for her toils, firing home 21 times in a side which finished second.
With her stay in Australia contingent upon completing a period of regional employment, Johnson has taken charge of training on an interim basis from the first pre-season session, which took place on Thursday, through until the festive break at year’s end.
The club’s main goal through this move is to garner sufficient interest to field a Bendigo Amateur Soccer League team in 2025, whether it lands in division one or two.
President Stefo Radevski hopes females from the region will take the chance to learn from a top-notch talent.
“We’re trying to put some quality sessions on for women and girls and see if we can recruit some people at the same time,” Radevski said.
“Haley’s just a gun. She’s next level and you can see that watching her play.
“Training with a leading scorer in the NPLW isn’t something our girls would get often, so we’re just putting it out there hoping to make a comeback.
“We want to build that hype up by having someone of Haley’s calibre take sessions and, maybe, we can recruit a few from other clubs with these kinds of benefits.
“We’re not worried about what kind of experience the players have, but we just want to get a team out there.”
Of course, the recruitment drive boils down to far more than simply trying to poach talent from local rivals.
Radevski also emphasised that the door was open to players looking to make the switch from other winter sports like Australian rules, netball and basketball.
“We believe that we’ll end up in division two, so naturally, our biggest challenge would be recruiting from elsewhere,” Radevski said.
“If girls in the 16 to 18-year-old bracket want to stick together for the next couple of years, they could turn out fantastic.
“We’re very happy to work alongside Preston to make this happen and I don’t think any other club in the area has that kind of relationship.
“The big thing is trying to get some young ladies involved in the sport. You don’t have to miss out just because you’re with a club, the door’s open and people are more than welcome to come along.”
