South Melbourne FC is excited to announce the signing of goal keepers Cassandra Zaffina and Molly-May Ramsay for the 2017 NPL Victoria Season.
Zaffina has an amazing story in football where her determination and tenacity has defined her character both on and off the pitch. She has played at a number of clubs in Melbourne as well as a stint with Alstonville in the Northern NSW Women’s Premier League. At the start of last season she transitioned from Caulfield United Cobras to the newly formed Alamein FC for the inaugural National Premier League season. Throughout 2016 she played 21 matches for the Under 18s and 3 matches with the Senior team.
Speaking with smfc.com.au, Zaffina details her transfer saying “South Melbourne has a reputation for it’s history, the girls in the squad and Soc as coach. It is an exciting opportunity for me to be joining such a big club. Working with Lou Petrou to develop as a goalkeeper has been an amazing experience to get me to the position I am now in. I also have a lot of respect for Soc as a coach. He recognises I am still developing my experience as a top level keeper yet has put his trust and faith in my ability. 2017 is going to be an exciting year for the South Melbourne squad and Soc is building a line-up which can go all the way to the Grand Final”.
Joining Zaffina wearing the gloves this season is Molly-May Ramsay who joins the squad from Murray United. Ramsay has played for a number of clubs around Albury Wodonga in her youth including winning the U15 Girls FFA National Girls Championship with the NSW Country team. As a sign of her skill and capability, Ramsay made the switch from girls to boys football in 2016 joining NPL2 regional team Murray United where she was named Captain of the clubs Under 15s boys team. It was a high intensity season for Ramsay where she played 26 rounds for the U15 boys, and a further 10 fixtures for the U16 boys who finished the season in 6th place.
Ramsay shared her thoughts on the move to South saying “it’s fantastic to be given an opportunity at such a big name club like South Melbourne. I am looking forward to playing in the Women’s NPL having made the move from Wodonga. Training with Cassandra and the squad, especially the men’s teams, is amazing and I am looking forward to really improving my game.”
Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Giuliano is impressed with both Zaffina and Ramsay. “Cassandra’s story is an interesting one and her commitment in training and performance on the pitch is what makes her an excellent fit for our squad. Additionally when I look at Molly-may, I see such a young talent and a name we are going to hear a lot about in the coming years. Coming to South will be an exciting transition for her and we’ll be supporting her the whole way. I am looking forward to watching both girls develop throughout the year and their contributions to the South community in 2017.” she said.