After seemingly announcing her retirement from football in September of this year, 150-time capped Matilda Lisa De Vanna has made her return to Perth for the third time in her career having laced up the boots for the Glory from 2008-2009 and 2012-2013.
More recently, De Vanna played a key role in the Championship winning W-League side of the Melbourne Victory where she made the PFA W-League Team of the Season.
Prior to this, she had a stint at Fiorentina in which she scored five goals in 14 appearances from 2019-2020.
She has also won W-League Championships with Melbourne City, Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC and has scored 47 times for the Matildas, featuring and scoring the 2007, 2011 and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Speaking on her signing, De Vanna described why she decided to link up with the Glory for this season.
“Alex Epakis [Head Coach] has created a safe, supportive environment and Tony Sage [Club Owner and Chairman] showed me great respect by going out of his way to meet me in person, which I really appreciated and am grateful for.
“Alex has put no pressure or expectation on me; just for me to fall in love with the game again.
“I started my career here and now I want to give back to the family, friends and fans who have supported me all the way along my football journey.
“I’m focused on being a good influence on the young players and helping bring the best out of them; that was a real game-changer for me.
“A winning mentality never dies and that’s why I’m committed to doing everything I can to bring a first ever Championship to my hometown club.”
Alex Epakis, the Glory coach who has integrated many youngsters into his side for the upcoming season perceives the signing of De Vanna as crucial to the squad’s success.
“Lisa is a proud West Australian and I know she is valuing the opportunity to represent her hometown club as part of what is shaping up to be a very dynamic and exciting squad to work with,” Epakis said.
“She has a proven track record at every level of the game, is extremely motivated to succeed on a team level and will provide even further x-factor to our attack.
“Lisa has been involved with the team for over a month now, has fitted in extremely well into our environment and culture and is focused on working hard to ensure the team has a competitive campaign.
“I look forward to coaching her this season and am eager to see her combine with the other fantastic players we currently have in the team.”
The Perth Glory commence their A-League Women season on the 4th of December against the Brisbane Roar at home.
Image Supplied: Perth Glory
