Poletti 
Perth Glory 2024/25 A-League Women's season preview. Photo: Poletti. Design: Round Ball Australia.
Perth Glory will enter the 2024/25 season with a new coach, new ownership, and significant roster turnover. Can they break the hoodoo and make finals for the first time since 2018/19?
Glory have come close to finals twice since the 2019 finals series, missing out by goal difference on the final day of the 2021/22 season, and by a single point in the 2022/23 season.
After a rampaging start in 2023/24, results turned against the Glory and the side finished in 10th place.
However, despite plans already being in place for the upcoming campaign with footballing director Stan Lazaridis and CEO Anthony Radich under the new ownership of the Pelligra Group, coach Alex Epakis resigned in June for personal reasons, and his successor was later announced as Stephen Peters.
The Manager: Stephen Peters
Following the departure of Epakis, the Glory hired another NPL Women’s NSW coach in Peters, who is coming into the job after winning back-to-back-to-back NPL Women’s NSW Championships with the Macarthur Rams.
After the win, Peters looked ahead to the upcoming season with Perth, and recognised the challenge ahead.
“There’s a lot of work to do there. I think there’s a lot of things we’ve got to put into place to get the team firing,” Peters said.
“It’s a super exciting challenge and I’m absolutely buzzing for it.”
As a manager, Peters is a great people person who knows how to get the best of his squad, while also not being afraid to make the hard calls when required.
He usually sets his sides up with a back four, rotating between three or four in the midfield depending on what is required.
His sides balance playing out from the back with hoofing it long into the middle of the park when required, as well as being tactically flexible depending on the opposition.
He is also a great in-game manager, from knowing what players to substitute and when to do so, to give his side the best chance of winning, whether that be when chasing a game or seeing out a lead.
Kelli Brown, who is joining Peters at the Glory after her time at the Rams and a stint in Wellington at the Phoenix, says that he is a genuine person and part of the reason why she is going to Perth.
“I’ve never had a coach that has so much belief in me,” Brown said.
“I’m super grateful for how much he’s helped me pursue my career and pick me up when I’m down.
“Why would you give that up?”
The Squad
There have been a raft of transfers both in and out for the Glory, signalling the start of a new era under Peters.
Some of the big names heading out to other clubs include Millie Farrow, Hana Lowry, Morgan Aquino, Sally James, and Sofia Sakalis, while captain Tash Rigby has retired.
These are some massive names to replace, but their is a huge raft of talent coming in who will have a chance to shine at the Glory.
The stand-out names amongst them include the likes of goalkeepers Casey Dumont and Miranda Templeman, the aforementioned Kelli Brown, Welsh international Megan Wynne on a two-year deal, Nigerian international defender Onyinyechi Zogg, Tijan McKenna, and Young Matilda Naomi Chinnama.
Peters has also brought in Macarthur Rams midfielder Miku Sunaga, who won the 2024 NPL Women’s NSW Player of the Year award, and former Western Sydney Wanderer Ella Abdul-Massih, who is continuing to develop in leaps and bounds and had a fantastic season for NWS Spirit in the NPL, scoring nine goals throughout the season, a strong return for a midfielder.
Their key re-signings includes the likes of Susan Phonsongkham, Izzy Foletta, Isobel Dalton, and Tanika Lala, which will give some familiarity for Perth fans to observe on the field.
With over 15 new signings, it will very much be a new look squad that Peters guides throughout the upcoming season, with some strong veteran A-League Women experience in key areas of the pitch, some rising superstars, and internationals who have played at top levels overseas.
Expectations
Coming off a 10th place finish last season, and having narrowly missed finals the two years before that, it is hard to judge where Peters in his first season can get this side to, or even what the expectation might be.
The obvious answer would be to make finals, especially when half the league makes it, and given the talent the side has on paper, that seems reasonable.
However, despite the talent, a mass squad turnover and a new coach is a huge hurdle to overcome, and it is unclear just how well the side will perform until they step onto the pitch in the opening rounds of the season.
The only expectation that can be comfortably put in place is that Peters has his work cut out for him at the Glory, and it will be a tough challenge, but one that could be very rewarding if it pays off.