The Great Southern Soccer Association starts on Saturday with a focus firmly on the women’s game which is celebrating 25 years of continuous competition this season.
A large crowd is expected to see the top-tier men’s and women’s matches kick off together on a Saturday afternoon for the first time.
Six clubs will battle for the senior women’s title, but the booming side of the sport also includes competitions for the reserves, and social players.
The Great Southern women’s representative team triumphed on their debut at country week in October while a masters’ league will start next year.
Looking to dominate again are Albany Caledonian who completed a league and cup double last season.
However, they will face Rovers in their opening fixture on Saturday without Jessica Baines and Shelley Thompson who have headed to Perth to further their soccer careers.
Gun midfielder Milla Trichilo is still around and Calies will hope that striker Libby Morris continues to bang in the goals.
Rovers’ Georgia Whitelaw will be their key figure as her side hope to build on a campaign which saw them finish third last time, adrift of Calies and Denmark.
Completing the opening day’s fixtures are Phoenix who tackle Sharks, and Polonia who face Denmark, last season’s runners-up.
GSSA president Jamie Steele welcomed the growth of the women’s game and said his region was fielding equal numbers of women and men.
“We could be the first association in WA to field as many female players as male and that’s something I’m really proud of,” he said.
The senior men’s and women’s teams will also play alongside each other in feature Saturday afternoon matches at the North Road complex, marking a switch from late-evening games on a Friday for the women.
A statement from the GSSA life members Brenda McCann and Marilyn Mullally said the 25-year milestone was more than just a number.
“It represents resilience, community spirit and a long-standing commitment to opportunity and inclusion,” they said.
“While women’s soccer in the Great Southern began more than half a century ago, its journey has not been without challenges.
“But where others may have let the game fade, a determined group of volunteers refused to let that happen and they rebuilt the competition from the ground up.”
McCann started one of the first women’s teams in Albany – which played in the boys’ under-14 competition – and since 2022 there has been an annual Calies versus Rovers tribute match in her honour.
Also kicking off on Saturday is the men’s senior competition and, as with their women, Calies’ will be the team to beat.
They won the league at a canter in 2025 but lost a dramatic cup final to Phoenix on penalties in the match of the season.
The league champions open their campaign against Polonia while Phoenix face Rovers.
Bayswater – who struggled and failed to win a game last year – have the bye.
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