Proud Victorians, donning the famous Big V, are representing Melbourne Victory on and off the field this season, with a local core making up more than half of the Club’s Men’s and Women’s First Team squads.
Since the Club’s formation in 2004, Melbourne Victory has sought to provide a platform for Victorian footballers, and from the league’s all-time appearance holder, Leigh Broxham, to legendary figures like Danny Allsopp, Roddy Vargas, and Kevin Muscat, Victorians have historically played central roles in our greatest successes.
Now, as Melbourne Victory gets stuck into the 2025/26 campaign, the majority of the playing squads are Victorian through and through, thanks in no small part to a targeted off-season recruitment focus by the Club for all Victorians.
The Men’s team not only introduced three homegrown young talents playing across Victoria, Matthew Grimaldi, Oliver Dragicevic and Xavier Stella, but also welcomed back five Victorians playing in Europe.
Socceroo Jason Davidson, a Melbourne-born defender who formerly played with Hume City, made his long-awaited return to the Club after successful spells in Belgium and Greece.
Former Victory Academy stars Franco Lino and Emre Saglam were brought back to the Club on season-long loans, along with Young Socceroos captain Sebastian Esposito. All three of the 20-year-old trio were born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria.
And whilst he was born in Paris, France, Socceroos midfielder Denis Genreau will call Melbourne his home once again, having grown up in the city and played his junior football at Brighton SC.
This group joins the long list of existing Victorian-born contracted players to the Men’s First Team: Nishan Velupillay, Jordi Valadon, Reno Piscopo, Joshua Inserra, Daniel Graskoski, Luka Kolic and Kayne Razmovski.
Although an Ivory Coast international, and spending the first 18 years of his life in his homeland, experienced full-back Adama Traoré is the latest import to have fallen in love with Victoria after first joining the Club in 2012. He has since become an Australian citizen and is on course to join Victory’s top five appearance-makers in the A-League Men’s during the new season.
The A-League Women’s squad boasts not only Victorian-born players across the park, but importantly, women from a diverse range of locations across the state.
Joining up with the squad to boost the goalkeeping ranks, local talents Chloe McKenzie and Natalie Picak will provide strength in depth after impressive performances in NPLW Victoria.
Alongside the up-and-coming local talent that will kick on at the Club in the 2025/26 season, including the likes of Laura Pickett, Rosie Curtis, Jessica Young and Sienna Techera, Victory welcomed New Zealand youth international right-back Zoe McMeeken back to her native Melbourne during the off-season.
ASEAN Championship-winning trio Holly Furphy, Alana Jančevski and Sofia Sakalis all remain in Victory colours after their heroics for the Australia U23s national team; a trio of born-and-bred Melburnians.
Becoming the first female player to progress through the entire Victory Academy pathway to the First Team in September, Wangaratta-born midfielder Poppy O’Keeffe joined the Club after impressing at Victory’s Wodonga Pre-Academy Centre.
Joining Victory’s First Team after earning a place in the NPLW Victoria Team of the Season, 18-year-old winger Fiorina Iaria grew up in Myrtleford and Shepparton, playing her junior football with the Goulburn Valley Suns.
On top of the 12 Victorian-born players in the squad, California-born Kayla Morrison is a Melburnian at heart, first arriving in Victoria to play for FC Bulleen Lions during the 2018 NPLW Victoria season.
Officially becoming an Australian citizen in 2023, Morrison pledged her love to the Club and state after signing a two-year contract extension in March.
Melbourne Victory Director of Football, John Didulica, emphasised how special it was to have a core of Victorians at the Club.
“Having this depth of local connection within our squad is something to be incredibly proud of.
“This is in addition to a membership base of 20,000 plus locals and club ownership, which, for the most part, has deep and long-term connections to our great state.
“Not many clubs of Victory’s scale can boast this level of local influence over their hometown club, and I have no doubt this mix will create a special season for the players and fans.”
