‘Absolutely crazy year’: Sydney FC rising football star prepared for first full Ninja A-League season

In 12 months, rising Sydney FC star Maddie Caspers has gone from relative unknown to a talent of the future. Read of her hopes for the upcoming Ninja A-League season.

Maddie Caspers of Sydney FC at the launch of the Ninja A-League Women. Picture: A-Leagues

It’s been a whirlwind 12 months for rising young football star Maddie Caspers.

Within the past year the 17-year-old has made her national team debut with the Junior Matildas, turned a short-term contract with Sydney FC into a two-year deal, earned a Young Footballer of the Year nomination and travelled to Colombia with the Young Matildas for the U20 Women’s World Cup.

With all of that, Caspers is only now preparing for her first full season in the newly rebranded Ninja A-League Women.

“It’s been an absolutely crazy year,” Caspers admitted.

“But definitely the support of the girls and Ante (Juric) has made it so much easier and now I’m just excited for the new season.”

Maddie Caspers scored her first professional goal against Newcastle Jets. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Caspers made her debut with Sydney FC on the same day her short-term contract was confirmed on December 10, 2023 in the team’s 1-0 win over Newcastle Jets.

She featured in two more matches before Sydney secured her for the future, locking her in until the end of the 2025-26 season just a month after her first taste of professional football.

Caspers said the club had been a great place for her to grow her game, learning from the best but also developing alongside fellow young talents.

“Last year I think the team had the youngest average age,” Caspers said.

“It’s definitely been such a great environment for young players, you can see that with girls coming from the Academy.

“And learning from people like Cortnee (Vine) has just been incredible, she’s so nice and encouraging and I do think we’ll really miss her and Charlotte (McLean) this year.”

Caspers is part of the cohort of young talent coming into the A-Leagues who are really benefiting from the record investment into women’s sport.

She said before the Women’s World Cup, she could never have imagined how big women’s football could get in this country.

“I remember going to Matildas games and there would be like 2000 people or something,” Caspers said.

“And now I’ve gone to sold out stadiums and all I can think is ‘wow’”

“I was injured in Colombia so I didn’t get to play (in the U20 World Cup) but wow, that crowd was insane and it’s an experience I’m going to remember forever.”

Sydney FC will kick-off their new season on November 2 against the Central Coast Mariners, but Caspers said she was mostly excited for round 3.

“The first game against the Mariners will definitely be a very tough game,” she said.

“But then we’ve got the derby coming up and I’ll get to play against my sister (Holly Caspers) so obviously that will be one of the games to watch.”