Canberra United and beloved players named Grace is definitely a thing.
Grace Gill. Grace Field. And Grace Maher.
By gosh it feels right to have Grace Maher back in green. After two years and 18 appearances with Melbourne Victory, Maher is coming home to Canberra United for the upcoming W-League season.
It's official… Grace Maher is coming home! 💚 pic.twitter.com/sTOLrwNxJH
— Canberra United (@CanberraUnited) September 9, 2020
A Canberra local who played her junior football with Majura FC, Maher began her W-League career with Canberra United in 2014. She signed her first contract when she was 15 years old, which at the time made her the youngest player to ever sign with a W-League team. Maher’s connection to the green jersey was strong even before then, working as a volunteer at the Canberra United match day merchandise stall.
The midfielder is still the youngest player to play for Canberra United, making her debut against Adelaide United on 19 October 2014. She was also in the starting line-up for the 2014 W-League Grand Final, helping United defeat Perth Glory 3-1.
In four seasons at Canberra United, Maher made 28 appearances and scored five goals, while she also led the league in assists during Canberra’s run to the 2016-17 Premiership. She expressed excitement at returning to the club in a message to fans.
Grace has a message for the Canberra United faithful! 💚 pic.twitter.com/eb8rXA6azX
— Canberra United (@CanberraUnited) September 10, 2020
“Given the timing of the crazy global pandemic that is going on and where I am at in my life and in my football career, there is no place that I would rather be than in Canberra.
“I am just super excited about the prospect of playing in front of the home fans again and playing for the club that I grew up watching.
“The fans, members, past players, staff, current players and volunteers know how special Canberra is, so I just can’t wait to be a part of it again and play at beautiful McKellar Park.”
Welcome home #AmazingGrace.
New Canberra United coach Vicki Linton also welcomed Maher back to the club.
Canberra United coach Vicki Linton spoke to media this morning about her first signing for the upcoming Westfield W-League season. pic.twitter.com/tpd4kCvOS6
— Canberra United (@CanberraUnited) September 10, 2020
“I had the chance to work with Grace with the Junior Matildas a few years ago, so I am really pleased to sign her for Canberra United in my first year at the club,” Linton said.
“I know first-hand the qualities she brings as a player and over the last few years I have seen her mature as a player, gaining valuable experience with the Young Matildas and in the Westfield W-League.
“I know she is excited to be back home in Canberra and I look forward to working with her again.”
Linton also touched on what fans may see personnel-wise as the Canberra United squad comes together.
“It’s going to be a localised league this year, and one of the strengths of Canberra … was its core group of local players. There’s an opportunity to start there, and build from that.
“There’s going to be familiarity from previous years and from last year.
“You’re going to see a mix of experience and youth. My role is to knit that together, and get the right people with the experience to help develop our talented young players.
“The positive of this [a local player based league] is a really great opportunity for our young players. These players are going to get good game time, good experience, and it will only be positive for the development of those players moving forward.”
While the end dates of the NPLW seasons around the country are known, the start date of the W-League is not as yet, and this presents its own challenges.
“There’s going to be a longer gap between the NPL season and the start of the [W-League] pre-season, so we’re already putting some plans into place on how we can support the players, whether they’re here in Canberra or not, so that they come in and will be ready for pre-season.”
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