Adelaide United FC (women)
| Company type | Sports club |
|---|---|
| Industry | Women's association football |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Adelaide , Australia |
| Products | Soccer team competing in A-League Women |
| Website | adelaideunited |
Adelaide United Football Club represents a prominent Australian women's soccer side situated in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 2008, this team serves as the official women's squad for Adelaide United and competes in the top-tier national league, the A-League Women.
Formation
The women's division of Adelaide United was launched in 2008 as one of the original eight founding clubs of the W-League. Michael Barnett, previously head coach at North Eastern MetroStars, took on the role of inaugural head coach, supported by assistant coach Richie Alagich, a former player for Adelaide United. The team captaincy was awarded to Matildas veteran Dianne Alagich.
2008–2011
Adelaide's debut match occurred on 25 October 2008 against Queensland Roar, concluding in a 4–1 defeat with Sharon Black netting their lone goal. Their first victory arrived in Round 2 versus Newcastle Jets at Hindmarsh Stadium, a 3–2 win highlighted by Sandra Scalzi’s three-goal performance. Following this, they secured another 3–2 triumph over Sydney FC but were unable to claim any wins in their subsequent seven matches, ending their inaugural campaign at the bottom of the standings.
In response to a challenging start, the squad underwent major changes ahead of the 2009 season, including the retirement of seasoned players Sharon Black and Dianne Alagich to emphasize youth development. Despite these adjustments, early struggles persisted with no wins across five opening fixtures and a heavy loss matching a league record against Sydney FC. The team’s first goal of that season came from Tenneille Boaler during a 3–3 draw with Newcastle Jets. Ultimately, Adelaide concluded the year winless but achieved seventh place after drawing 2–2 with Brisbane Roar. Racheal Quigley earned recognition as the club’s Most Valuable Player for 2009.
The 2010–11 campaign marked further setbacks as Adelaide lost all ten matches, scoring just four goals while conceding 36, resulting in a −32 goal difference. Following these results, Michael Barnett was replaced by David Edmondson as head coach.
During the 2011–12 season, Adelaide exhibited modest progress despite starting with six consecutive losses and scoring four goals against twenty-one conceded. A significant breakthrough came in Round 8 with a 1–0 win over Perth Glory, ending a 34-game winless run and an 18-match losing streak, lifting them off last place for the first time since November 2009.
After taking full control of the women’s program, Adelaide United appointed Mark Jones as head coach for the 2016/17 season as part of their strategic direction.
2021–2022
In the 2021-22 season, Adelaide qualified for the finals for the first time by finishing third with a record of nine wins and five losses from fourteen matches. A standout moment included an emphatic 8-2 victory against Brisbane in Round 11. Fiona Worts claimed the Golden Boot by scoring thirteen goals—including two hat-tricks—and was also honored with the Julie Dolan Medal as the league’s most outstanding player. Coach Adrian Stenta received the Coach of the Year Award. Their finals debut concluded with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Melbourne Victory.
2024–2025
Adelaide returned to finals contention in the 2024-25 season and secured their inaugural finals victory. They ended third on the ladder with fourteen wins and three draws across twenty-three games. At Cooper Stadium before an audience of 3,143 spectators, they defeated Western United 1-0 courtesy of Matilda McNamara’s goal. However, their campaign ended following a home-and-away Semi Final loss to Melbourne Victory by an aggregate score of 6-2. Fiona Worts led as top scorer with eleven goals; additionally, three players ranked among the league’s top ten scorers. Adrian Stenta earned his second Coach of the Year accolade while Claudia Jenkins was awarded Save of the Year.
To celebrate International Women's Day on 8 March 2025, Adelaide United’s women hosted their first prime-time fixture at Hindmarsh Stadium, drawing a season-best crowd of 8,852 fans and securing a 1-0 victory over eventual champions Central Coast.
Stadium
Adelaide United WFC previously hosted their home matches at Hindmarsh Stadium, frequently serving as preliminary games before A-League fixtures. Starting from the 2017/18 season, the team relocated their home games to Marden Sports Complex. The 2016/17 season raised issues regarding the use of portable changing rooms at Hindmarsh during double-header events, resulting in no women's matches being scheduled there in the subsequent season.
Former players
For a list of distinguished current and past players, refer to Category:Adelaide United FC (women) players.
Current technical staff
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Adrian Stenta |
| Assistant coach | Michele Lastella |
| Assistant coach | Alice Gorman |
| Goalkeeper coach | Rian Del Nido |
Manager history
| Manager | Start date | End date | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Barnett | 1 July 2008 | 30 June 2011 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 24 | ||
| Template:Country data ENGTemplate:Namespace detect showall David Edmondson | 31 August 2011 | 13 January 2013 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 19 | ||
| Ross Aloisi | 22 August 2013 | 28 July 2015 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | ||
| Jamie Harnwell | 30 July 2015 | 30 June 2016 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Mark Jones | 7 September 2016 | 22 September 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Hussein Skenderovic | 5 October 2016 | 30 June 2017 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| Ivan Karlović | 1 July 2017 | 4 August 2020 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | ||
| align=left | Adrian Stenta | 4 August 2020 | 27 | 16 | 1 | 10 |
Colours and badge
From the club’s inception, Adelaide United has predominantly worn an all-red home strip. Their original away kit featured white shirts and socks paired with red shorts; this was changed in 2009 to a black jersey combined with red shorts and socks. The emblem replicates the men's team crest but is enclosed within a W-League shield design that is standard for all teams in the league.
Records
| Season | League/Division | Final Position | Finals | Leading Scorers | Head Coach | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 W-League | W-League (Australia) | 8th out of 8 | – | Victoria Balomenos, Sandra Scalzi (4) | Michael Barnett (footballer) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 W-League (Australia) | W-League (Australia) | 7th out of 8 | – | Racheal Quigley (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–11 W-League | W-League (Australia) | 7th out of 7 | – | several players with one goal each | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–12 W-League | W-League (Australia) | 7th out of 7 | – | Marijana Rajcic (3) | David Edmondson | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–13 W-League | W-League (Australia) | 8th out of 8 | – | Racheal Quigley, Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Sarah McLaughlin (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–14 W-League | W-League (Australia) | 6th out of 8 | – | align=left Template:Country data ENGTemplate:Namespace detect showall Kristy Moore (3) | Ross Aloisi | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 W-League (Australia) | W-League (Australia) | 7th out of 8 | - | align=left Template:Flagicon ENG Kristy Moore (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=center 2015–16 W-League | align=center W-League (Australia) | align=center 5th out of 9 | align=center – | align=left Rosie Sutton, Template:Flagicon USA Abby Dahlkemper (5) | align=left Jamie Harnwell | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=center 2016–17 W-League | align=center W-League (Australia) | align=center 6th out of 9 | align=center – | align=left Adriana Jones (9) | align=left Hussein Skenderovic | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=center 2017–18 W-League | align=center W-League (Australia) | align=center last place, 9th of 9 | align=center –
| align=left Template:Flagicon USA Makenzy Doniak (7) | rowspan=3 | Ivan Karlović (soccer) |
- |
align = center 2018-19 W League |
align = center W League Australia |
align = center mid-table, 6th of 9 |
align = center – |
align = left Template:Flagicon USA Veronica Latsko (9) |
- |
align = center 2019-20 W League |
align = center W League Australia |
align = center lower table, 8th of 9 |
align = center – |
align = left Template:Flagicon USA Mallory Weber (4) |
- |
align = center 2020-21 W League |
align = center W League Australia |
align = center upper mid-table, 5th of 9 |
align = center – |
align = left Chelsie Dawber (5) |
rowspan=2| Adrian Stenta |
- |
align = center 2021-22 A League Women |
align = center A League Women |
align = center third place, 3rd of 10 |
align = center semi-finals |
align = left Template:Flagicon ENG Fiona Worts (13) |
Data last updated on April 30, 2024
- Largest Win: A commanding 10–2 triumph over Western Sydney Wanderers FC W-League, dated January 14, 2017
- Heaviest Defeat: An eight-goal loss, falling 0–8 to Newcastle Jets FC W-League, on March 29, 2024
- Longest Period Without Victory: A stretch spanning thirty-four matches between November 2008 and December 2011
- Top Goal Scorer All-Time: Racheal Quigley, with a total of seven goals scored
- Most Appearances: The record holder is Donna Cockayne, who featured in twenty-seven games
See also
- List of top-division football clubs in AFC countries
- Women's soccer in Australia
- W-League (Australia) all-time records
- Australia women's national soccer team