Emma Evans has been involved in the National Women’s League for nearly a decade – firstly as a player and then as a coach, both for Capital Football – and says those taking part in the competition now feel more valued and respected than ever before.

This year’s edition has been ground-breaking on several levels with the format moving to two full home-and-away rounds for the first ever time and an increased level of coverage as interest in the country’s premier female competition continues to rise.

“I think it’s changed immensely,” Evans says.

“The standard has always been good but it’s mostly off-the-field stuff that has changed. Going to two rounds and the media attention it’s getting – whether that’s through New Zealand Football or outside journalists and bloggers – has made a huge difference and I know the players feel more valued and respected. It’s really something that people want to be a part of.”

The history of the National Women’s League – which first took place in 2002 – is being celebrated by New Zealand Football and the competing federations this weekend as part of the inaugural Heritage Week and Evans is an ideal person to reflect on the past after having a close association with the competition for so many years.

Her first taste came as a talented teenager in 2010, a period in which it became a youth-based league to help foster the next generation of talent. Each team was able to field several over-age players and Evans recalls the quality being at an impressive level.

“Back then, there were still a lot of national team players that were actually based in New Zealand, they hadn’t really started to move overseas. So, even though it was a youth league, the standard was still extremely high,” she says.

“As a young player, you really had to fight for your spot and the training every week was that much higher than club level.”

Evans didn’t have to wait long to lift the trophy, with Capital claiming a maiden title that very season.

“To win the league in your first proper year was a pretty cool feeling,” she says.

“Making our way through to the semi-finals was further than we thought we would have gone. We had a couple of really supportive coaching staff who believed in us from the start but, given the strength that teams like Auckland and Northern had at the time, the odds were against us. It was fantastic to win it and that feeling will be hard to match.”

Evans’ promising playing career was over due to injury less than six years later, allowing her to make an earlier than usual introduction to coaching in her early 20s. As coach of Capital, she now passes on her knowledge to several of the same players she came through the ranks with.

“Some of the players who were being moved from the youth programme into the national league at the time are key players for us now, like Kennedy Bryant and Katie Barrott. It’s pretty cool to have been a team mate with them from their very first National Women’s League experience and now be coaching them at the same level.”

Evans has clear memories of many top players who have graced the National Women’s League but several names stand out. The first that spring to mind are former Football Ferns Renee Leota and Emily McColl while she rates Annalie Longo as the best of the current crop.

“She’s a player who changes the game and who no one really wants to come up against,” Evans says of the Ferns playmaker. “She has always been and will continue to be one of the toughest opponents I think any player could come up against. She shows the level you’re required to be at if you want to represent your country.”

With stars like Longo in action on the doorstep of football fans all across the country, Evans is excited about the future of the National Women’s League.

“It’s a really cool mix of players who are wanting to make that step overseas, whether that’s to get a scholarship in America or to play professionally. It’s offering a platform for those players coming through that really have that ambition and drive,” she says.

“Now that it’s gone to two rounds, I think the league has so much more respect and the players feel much more valued because you’re not just playing teams once. You’ve now got an opportunity to play them again, get more coverage and for fans to really engage with the league,” she adds.

“The women’s game is growing so much and I think the players understand they play a vital role in that as well. By buying into and committing to it, they’re a part of that growth and of raising the profile and visibility.”

Evans and her Capital side will take on Central at home in a local derby this afternoon as they look to keep their National Women’s League title hopes alive, kick off is 2pm at Memorial Park in Petone. 

Article added: Saturday 03 November 2018