Record crowds, young-guns taking centre stage and a returning Matilda leading the way. The 2023/24 Liberty A-League season has come to a close. We take a look back at Roar’s sixteenth season in the competition.
Position: 9th (26 Points)
Wins: 7
Losses: 10
Draws: 5
Goals Scored: 28
Goals Conceded: 35
Biggest Win: 3–1 vs. Western Sydney Wanderers (A) (27 January 2024, Round 14)
Highest Home attendance: 3,679 vs. Sydney FC (21 October 2023, Round 2, Ballymore Stadium)
Clean Sheets: 4
Captain: Ayesha Norrie
Top Goal Scorers:
Mia Corbin: 8
Tameka Yallop: 5
Kijah Stephenson: 4
Sharn Freier: 3
Jenna McCormick: 3
YOUNG GUNS
Brisbane Roar’s vision this season placed an emphasis on nurturing young local talent to showcase the best up-and-coming players in Queensland. This was shown with a number of young stars taking centre stage and showcasing their skills the A-League.
Young Matilda, Grace Kuilamu signed on at the start of the season and brought exciting ability to the squad. Kuilamu found the back of the net on her Liberty A-League debut in Round 1 against Melbourne Victory, aged just 16 to become the club’s youngest ever Liberty A-League goalscorer. The forward unfortunately suffered an ACL injury in training, bringing an early end to her season but will be back stronger in 2024/25.
Joining her, Young Matildas’ Captain Ruby Cuthbert made her debut away to Perth Glory in front of family and friends and made a positive impact in central defence alongside Jenna McCormick. Cuthbert made a seamless transition into the A-League before suffering a knee injury on Young Matildas’ duty which saw her miss the last few matches.
Signing from local NPL Queensland club. Peninsula Power, Alicia Woods was brought into the squad in December 2023 on a scholarship contract. Hoping to just gain experience with the senior team at training, Woods quickly found herself in the starting line-up after impressing on her debut in Round 16 against Western United. She became a key player in the midfield making 2 assists in 7 games.
Perhaps the most exciting story to come out of Brisbane Roar this season was, Sharn Freier who scored 3 goals and grabbed 5 assists, which led to her selection in the CommBank Matildas’ squad to face Mexico in an international friendly in the United States in April.
Kijah Stephenson enjoyed another strong season, the 23-year-old netted four goals and combined strongly with Tameka Yallop and Mia Corbin in the front third as she continues to go from strength to strength.
MILESTONES
Brisbane Roar were proud to watch our Liberty A-League players hit career milestones to celebrate their contribution to the game.
Tameka Yallop made her return to the club for the 2023/24 season and caused an uproar of excitement after her involvement in the CommBank Matildas’ squad in the 2023 FIFA World Cup. The midfielder played a starring role for Roar, grabbing five goals and fives assists before reaching 150 games in the A-League in Unite Round against Newcastle Jets.
Captain Ayesha Norrie made her 100th appearance in the A-League in Roar’s last game of the season. The skipper became just the 50th player reach 100 games in the competition and did so for the club she grew up supporting and where her career began at 16-years-old.
RECORD CROWDS
Brisbane Roar saw a record-breaking season in the stands, with spectator figures rising rapidly after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
A new club record crowd for a standalone Liberty A-League match was set 3,679 people turned out for the Roar’s Round 2 match up with Sydney FC at Ballymore Stadium, a figure which is the ninth highest any match across the competition’s history.
2023/24 also saw a record 5,445 Liberty A-League Members including 3,752 Liberty Pass Members sign up with Brisbane Roar.
Throughout the 2023/24 Liberty A-League season, a total of 24,385 people attended Roar matches, the third highest in the league behind Sydney FC and Central Coast Mariners.
SPECIAL KITS
The club included two special kits this season: an Indigenous kit and a Pride Round kit.
In what was a club first, both the men and women’s teams ran onto the pitch wearing a special-edition, Indigenous journey in their double-header round at Suncorp Stadium in November 2023.
The special-edition kit held significance to have Indigenous representation in football, something other sporting codes regularly incorporate. It highlighted the inclusivity of all cultures and backgrounds that reflect both the people within the club, the fans, and their communities.
The Pride Round kit was worn in Round 19 against Central Coast Mariners at Ballymore Stadium and included the LGBTIQA+ flag on the sleeve.
The round was an occasion that signified the league’s ongoing commitment to making football accessible and inclusive for everyone.
Brisbane Roar extends a huge thank you to all those who supported us throughout the season, we’ll be back bigger and better in 2024/25.
Be the first in know for Membership information ahead of the 2024/25 Liberty A-League season by filling out an EOI HERE
