Meet your NPL NSW and Football NSW Leagues Chief Writers

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Let’s take a closer look at the five chief writers who will look after the previews, reviews and reports for our elite National Premier Leagues and Football NSW League competitions for 2022.

National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s

Name: Madeline Riley (@madelineriley23)

Age: 27

How long have you been writing for?

7 years

What got you into writing?

I’ve always had a passion for sport and writing so decided to combine the two. While studying journalism at University I took on internships and started writing for football and have been doing so ever since.

Why is the NPL NSW Men’s important to you?

I think the NPL is crucial to the success of football in Australia in both giving opportunities to the talented players, coaches and staff who are not given opportunities in the top levels of football in Australia and in developing young players and allowing them to play in professional and physical environments before making the step up to the next level.

Message to our followers of the league with the upcoming season?

I hope you can enjoy and appreciate the high-calibre talent that this league puts on display each week.


National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s

Name: Nikola Pozder (@NikolaPozder)

Age: 31

How long have you been writing for?

I have been the head writer for the Women’s top tier competition since 2013 and have enjoyed every second of it.

What got you into writing?

Football runs in my blood and I’ve played, coached and had the privilege to now write and commentate on the world game.

I was born into it.

Why is the NPL NSW Women’s important to you?

I am of the belief that the NPL NSW Women’s competition has not only shaped the A-League Women’s competition but also the Matildas squad. The league is a pool of up-and-coming talent with new stars emerging each year. Not only is the league rich with talented footballers but also fantastic coaches.

Message to our followers of the league with the upcoming season?

Do yourself a favour and come down and spot the next female football superstar because in the NPL NSW Women’s competition, you’ll be sure to find her.


Football NSW League One Men’s

Name: Justin Smith (@smiththejustin)

Age: 27

How long have you been writing for?

This will be my fifth season as a competition’s writer with Football NSW. It’s now 9 years overall including a season doing NPL match reports that I have been involved with writing on the world game.

What got you into writing?

Simple answer, my love of football. Believe it or not, I wasn’t great when it came to English in school growing up. But through a lot of practice and help from others, I’ve developed into the writer I am today.

Why is the Football NSW League One Men’s important to you?

It’s the second tier of men’s football in NSW, what else needs to be said? Plenty of teams dreaming of promotion, the drama of late goals and you get to see some of the best talent in NSW develop (Just look at the current Central Coast Mariners team in the A-League this season, it was a pleasure watching and reporting on these up-and-coming stars when they set our leagues alight the past two years).

Message to our followers of the league with the upcoming season?

Covering the two-thirds of the season last year was a highlight for me. And I’m really looking forward to going around again in season 2022.

It’s a great community across all clubs and the standard of football isn’t too bad either.

If you see me around, don’t be shy, come say hello!


Football NSW League One Women’s

Name: Justin Davies (JustDavies90)

Age: 31

How long have you been writing for?

I have been doing work for Football NSW for eight years but been writing since I was little.

What got you into writing?

I have always enjoyed putting together stories and always been a big sports fan, so it felt natural to write about it for a living.

Why is the Football NSW League One Women’s important to you?

The League One Womens competition is important as it is a big development link for women’s football in NSW and is constantly improving the standard and having 16 teams will make for some exciting action this year.

Message to our followers of the league with the upcoming season?

Enjoy watching the league this season and the football that will be produced across the whole 30-weeks, it’s going to one for the history books.


Football NSW League Two Men’s

Name: Dominic Criniti (@DominicCriniti)

Age: 21

How long have you been writing for?

I’ve been writing for four years; this will be my second year with Football NSW.

What got you into writing?

I’ve always loved sport throughout my life, finding a way to communicate my love, knowledge, and passion for all the sports I watch made writing an easy career decision for me when I left school.

Why is the Football NSW League Two Men’s important to you?

League Two is an incredibly passionate league and one that I am very excited to cover,

This league has a lot of history and meaning for all involved, the stories and aura of the league are very noteworthy and should make for a cracking season in 2022.

Message to our followers of the league with the upcoming season?

I understand the passion and pride everyone has in this league and I’m very excited to get going and build some strong relationships with all the clubs. I will strive to do my best to give the league the reputation and writing it deserves


Football NSW League Three Men’s

Name: Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)

Age: 16

How long have you been writing for?

I began blogging in late 2017 and started writing for websites and magazines in 2019.

What got you into writing?

The love of football. I love everything about it. The emotion, the coaching, the anticipation, the structure.

The agony of coming that close to scoring, the jubilation of the ball then rolling over the line. The dramatism of football, and the condensing of real-life emotion into no longer than a two-hour spell make it an amazing game, and it’s got something for everyone.

Emotion and drama, tactics and brainpower, beauty and art, fight, and spirit. There was never a chance I would turn down writing about it!

Why is the Football NSW League Three Men’s important to you?

The League 3 Men’s is integral to the structure of the NPL. It provides opportunities for talent to be unveiled while allowing players to progress through the ranks and improve the pyramid of semi-professional football in Australia.

The league is always an exciting and dramatic watch and is the perfect demonstration of why I love football.

If you haven’t already, I most certainly recommend picking your local team and getting down to a game – trust me, you’ll fall in love with it within that first 90 minutes.

Message to our followers of the league with the upcoming season?

I’ll work as hard as I can to provide you, the reader, with the necessary information for your fix of League 3 Men’s twice a week in my round previews and reviews.

If there’s ever something you want to see, whether it be a small section in a preview or review, a feature idea or literally anything else, don’t hesitate to contact me through Twitter or LinkedIn.

I’m at the service of you as the audience and want to make your League 3 Men’s reading as engaging and enjoyable as possible.

 

Key Contributors

Football NSW has the luxury of calling upon some quality report writers as well, covering each of the NPL NSW Men’s matches.

Sitting high on this list are two journalists who are living breathing legends of this very competition with Micky Brock and Joe Russo once again set to go around doing what they do best.

The dynamic duo have been reporting on our game way before the NPL commenced, starting with the old National Soccer League days and they’ve both offered the current league so much with their knowledge and dedication to the game.

The likes of  Chris Curulli, Tim Gibson, Nick Rupolo and Nick Houghton will also be out and about for the 2022 season so keep an eye out for them also.