A brand-new season of Women’s National Premier League action kicks off this weekend, as the competition returns to a full eight teams, with four huge fixtures to get the 2025 campaign underway.

First up is a battle between two teams with plenty to prove, as Gungahlin United welcome rivals Canberra Croatia to Gungahlin Enclosed on the Friday night.

There has been a raft of changes for both sides in the off season, as they both look to improve on their 2024 seasons respectively.

For a side like Croatia, a fourth-place finish, making the Preliminary Final and a runners-up spot in the Federation Cup, doesn’t quite meet the lofty expectations of the club. With a host of new faces in the side, new head coach Musie Elongo has his first test against a side that Croatia only beat once in four meetings last year.

For Gungahlin, there has also been changes to the playing squad and head coach. Marcial Munoz takes the reins following the departure of Nick Van Aalst, and will have his work cut out for him, with more players leaving the club, than coming in.

Saturday sees a standalone fixture, as Belconnen United welcome bitter rivals Canberra Olympic to Kaleen Enclosed for a grand final rematch.

It is already the second time these two have met in 2025, with Belconnen triumphant in the Charity Shield. The two will lock horns at Kaleen Enclosed, as McKellar Park is currently unavailable.

Scott Conlon’s Blue Devils have seen plenty of changes to the squad, but the additions of Anneke Corry from Macarthur FC, and the signing of Gungahlin duo Matilde Laurel-Tighe and Alex Martens, help to bolster what is already a strong squad.

For Canberra Olympic and Frank Cachia, it is a tall order to improve on a treble winning season in 2024. With veteran players Nicole Jalocha (Coaching) and Michaela Thronton (Canberra Croatia) moving on, Corrine Denton and Tatum Mazis, have added the quality of an impressive squad, with Alyse Jensen and Tayla Hampson among the additions.

Sunday afternoon sees two matches take place to wrap up the opening round of action.

West Canberra Wanderers will start their journey to return to finals football as they face off against Tuggeranong United in a south Canberra derby at Melrose Synthetic.

Wanderers proved to be a stubborn opponent in 2024, especially at home, showing plenty of improvement on previous seasons. Their off-season recruitment and pre-season form shows signs of a genuine push for the top four and finals football.

Some exciting additions to the squad, and the potential of getting off to a strong start and would have the leading pack looking over their shoulders.

Tuggeranong have seen major changes, with a new head coach in the form of Ian Toms, taking charge of the side. A change in playing style is on the cards, as they look to change the form that saw them turn the ball over cheaply and quickly in 2024.

Tuggeranong have seen a handful of players depart, including industrious striker Sarah Matthews, but have returned impressive defenders Lara Mustaine and Jess Mitchell, a partnership around which they can lay a solid foundation.

The final match of the opening round sees ANU Women’s FC take on NPL newcomers Majura FC, at Kaleen Enclosed.

A sixth placed finish in 2024 could be considered a “win” for ANU WFC, as their team was ravaged by departures head of the last campaign, a symptom that has repeated in 2025, but such is the nature of the University set-up.

First-year head coach Amalia Edevane is tasked with pushing the team towards a first ever top four finish. They showed in 2024 that they could be competitive with the big teams and will need to add firepower up top while also tightening up in defence.

There isn’t much that can be said about Majura, as they make a brave step-up into premier football. Previous to 2025, the highest level the club had played was Capital League Women’s Division 1, finishing 2024 in second place.

Davide Ruberto takes charge of what is likely to be a young squad. Pre-season has seen the team in building mode, but some competitive results against fellow NPLW teams potentially bodes well for the new era.

All matches are screened live and free on the Capital Football YouTube channel.

FIXTURES

ROUND 1

Friday 4 April

Gungahlin United v Canberra Croatia (Gungahlin Enclosed, 19:30)

Saturday 5 April

Belconnen United v Canberra Olympic (Kaleen Enclosed, 15:00)

Sunday 6 April

West Canberra Wanderers v Tuggeranong United (Melrose Synthetic, 15:00)

Majura FC v ANU WFC (Kaleen Enclosed, 15:00)