Melbourne Victory is pleased to announce it has signed New Zealand international Claudia Bunge ahead of the 2020/21 Westfield W-League season.
The central defender arrives at Victory from the Northern Lights in New Zealand’s National Women’s League where she was Captain.
Bunge was also recently named Football New Zealand’s 2020 Female Young Player of the Year.
The 21-year-old said she was looking forward to her debut season in the W-League.
“I’m really excited and proud to have signed with Melbourne Victory,” Bunge said.
“It was a really easy decision to make the move to Victory. The standard of the W-League is fantastic, and Victory have obviously been competing for silverware in recent years, so I’m really excited to get started.
“Jeff Hopkins provided me with a really clear understanding of the role he wants me to play for the team and the professional environment they’ve created in recent years. I’m looking forward to meeting my new teammates and coaching staff, and training hard over the coming weeks to be ready for the season start.”
W-League Head Coach Jeff Hopkins said Claudia was a welcome addition to the squad this season.
“We’re really pleased to have signed Claudia for the upcoming season and on behalf of everyone at the club, I’d like to welcome her to the Victory family,” Hopkins said.
“Claudia is a very talented player, is extremely driven and is the ultimate professional having been part of the New Zealand international pathway from under 17 through to senior level.
“We believe Claudia adds great depth to our defensive unit and is a natural leader. She’s strong on the ball, extremely mobile and is a natural footballer who will adapt well to the pace of the W-League.
“We’re looking forward to seeing Claudia put in the hard work alongside her teammates as we look to build on the foundations we’ve established over the past couple of seasons.”
