A rising star in the NSW NPL competition, Mackenzie Hawkesby is one of a number of talented youngsters who have signed with Sydney FC for the upcoming W-League campaign. After being part of the Western Sydney Wanderers squad in the 2018-19 season, the 19-year-old midfielder has crossed over to the other side of the Harbour City, and is absolutely delighted to join the defending Champions.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a young girl. I’ve seen the history of Sydney FC and how well they’ve done in the W-League. Their winning culture and their family culture really attracted me to sign for them, I was assured that it would be a positive and genuine environment for me to start my football career as a young player.”
For many years, the Sydney FC squad has been loaded with quality players, and Hawkesby was in for a pleasant surprise when she found out who would be joining her at the Sky Blues. While some players might be intimidated by the prospect of battling established Matildas and international stars for playing time, Hawkesby sees the composition of the squad as a huge opportunity.
“It was a game changer to see the whole squad being announced. As a young player, you want to be around this environment and learn off them, try and gain some of their experience. This training environment can only benefit me and young players like me, so it’s a dream come true and I’m excited to learn from them, work hard and train well.”
Credit: Dan Ullman (Instagram: @aptitudephotography)
Hawkesby started the 2019 NSW NPL campaign with Sydney University, before moving to Sydney Olympic in the midseason transfer window. The chance to play with Teresa Polias, someone she’s admired for a long time, was a big part of her reason for switching clubs.
“Teresa’s been an idol of mine, ever since I was a young girl. I had a lot of options but I thought that Olympic had the best offer, and I made the best choice so I’m really happy.”
The move paid off. Hawkesby made 13 appearances for Olympic and scored three times, one of them a long range effort against Sydney University in June. She said that her stint at Olympic helped her prepare for the W-League by pitting her against players with experience in the national competition.
“My time at Olympic went really well. Now that I’ve played against a few players at other clubs who’ve played W-League, I’ve seen what I’m up against and what I can do to improve my game. It gave me a lot of experience, brought up my confidence and made me realise that I can do this.”
Credit: Dan Ullman (Instagram: @aptitudephotography)
Polias wasn’t the only Sydney FC squad member that Hawkesby played with at Olympic. Young Matildas centre back Angelique Hristodoulou was also there, and Hawkesby spoke about the influence the pair had on her decision to sign with the Sky Blues.
“I’ve learnt a lot of things off both of them. Ange is my age, she’s a very strong player and just starting out her career like me. She told me what the Sydney FC culture offers, with training and all the quality players,” she said.
“Teresa Polias really helped me as well. I play in midfield, she’s been playing there her whole life, and she’s not only a world class player, she’s a world class person. Seeing Teresa, how much experience she has and how much she’s grown at Sydney FC has assured me that the club is a great choice.”
Previous experience with Sydney FC coach Ante Juric (the two worked together at Football NSW Institute, and Juric is Technical Director at Olympic) was also a factor.
“He’s a phenomenal coach. His philosophy and way of football made me realise that Sydney FC would be the best choice. Seeing the way he coaches his teams and the way he plays football, that’s what attracted me the most, so when he got in contact with me I was over the moon.”
Newly-promoted Sydney Olympic had a stellar first season in the top flight of NSW football, finishing second. These achievements don’t happen by themselves. A large commitment is required from the club, and Hawkesby paid tribute to the work done by Juric and Olympic first grade coach George Beltsos.
“George and Ante put a lot of effort into the women’s side of the club and really helped us in achieving our goal, which was to stay in NPL 1, we exceeded our expectations. We had a lot of strong, young players, which was a massive bonus.”
Credit: Dan Ullman (Instagram: @aptitudephotography)
As the standard of the NSW NPL competition has increased rapidly in recent seasons, Hawkesby acknowledged the impact in terms of preparing young players for the challenges of the W-League.
“I think it’s phenomenal, and the league has grown so much over the past few years. There are a lot of NPL players getting picked in the W-League now, it’s a great pathway for young players and it helps you get noticed by coaches.”
Hawkesby has lofty goals. She already has experience playing for the Young Matildas, and like many players is hopeful of a call-up to the senior national side in the future. However, she knows that there is still a long way to go before she achieves those ambitions.
“My ultimate goal is to play for the Matildas. I just want to keep working hard and hopefully in the future play internationally. That’s my goal, to keep playing at the highest level of women’s football and keep working hard.”
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