Poletti 
Ashlie Letta in action for APIA Leichhardt against Mount Druitt Town Rangers in 2025. Photo Credit: Nielsen Images/Football NSW.
If there is one thing APIA Leichhardt can trust Ashlie Letta to do, it’s score goals.
The club captain leads from the front, striking her way on to the scoresheet with regularity since arriving at Lambert Park in 2023, scoring 79 goals in all competitions.
She won the 2023 NPL Women’s NSW Golden Boot with 24 goals, has scored double digit goals in every season since, and is currently leading the Golden Boot race on 14 league goals after 14 rounds of the 2026 season.
For Letta (née Crofts), she knows it is her job to score, but was quick to praise her teammates and recognise their contributions to her scoring prowess, as well as her husband James Letta, who plays for NPL Men’s NSW side SD Raiders.
“It’s obviously part of my game. It’s my job, and it helps the team,” Letta said.
“I can’t do what I do without the girls behind me and I’ve got support from the club.
“My husband plays as well. He’s a centre-back, so he’s obviously hard on me and gives me good critique so I know what I need to do better and he’ll continue to coach me along the way.”
Letta has had two previous stints in the A-League Women, playing for Canberra United for two seasons, and one season at the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Having not played in the league since 2022, Letta still wants to return to the A-League Women, but recognises the difficulties that come with the semi-professional nature of the competition.
“If the right opportunity comes along I definitely will have those conversations when it happens,” she said.
“I guess it’s a little bit harder now, in a different phase of life with things like mortgages and adult things.
“If the right opportunity is there then definitely.
“My husband’s always said he wants the Letta name back in the [A-League Women], so we’ll see.”
APIA had a difficult first half of the season by the clubs high standards.
They were eliminated in the Sapphire Cup Quarter-finals, and had lost five of their last six in all competitions after starting the season undefeated heading into Sunday’s Round 14 clash against Sydney University.
APIA walked away with a 3-0 victory, with Letta saying that the rut the side was in was tough.
“I feel like when you’re in the position and things just aren’t going your way, it’s really hard to get out of there,” she said.
“But when you have these kind of breaks in the season you’d rather have it now than towards the end, so we’ll use this to build.
“We know there’s a long way to go. Nothing’s set at the moment, but we’ll keep working and we’ll be happy tonight.”
Sunday’s win keeps APIA within eight points of UNSW, who sit undefeated at the top of the ladder, and a chance of doing the double if they can get on a good run of results.
Letta knows the importance of winning trophies for APIA, and despite the Cup exit to UNSW leaving one less trophy available, there’s still a clear target in mind.
“We move on from [the Cup loss] and try to win everything else that’s on offer.”
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