14-year-old Willa Pearson scripts history after becoming the youngest player in the A-League after making her debut for Sydney FC on Saturday, November 1, 2025, played at Leichhardt Oval.
Playing in the defender role, she was part of the full game against Melbourne City, which ended by a 2-2 draw. The game was the opening fixture of the league’s 2025-26 season. From Sydney’s side, the two goals were scored by Maddison Ayson and Mackenzie Hawkesby. Meanwhile, Shelby McMahon and Aideen Keane scored for City.
Pearson surpassed Ischia Brooking’s record, who made her debut at the age of 14 years and 347 days as a substitute player for Western Sydney Wanderers back in November 2023. She joined the team in the second half of the game against Newcastle Jets.
Australian footballer Sam Kerr has previously set the record of becoming the youngest A-League player after making her debut for Perth Glory at the age of 15. She is currently playing in the role of a striker for Women’s Super League club Chelsea.
After the match, Pearson sat down during an interview with Paramount+ and shared her excitement about starting her career as a senior footballer, and was overjoyed about achieving such an opportunity at a young age.
She said, “I’m knackered at the moment but thank you to everybody who believed in me, who gave me the opportunity and I’m so thankful we got a point. It’s been hard for sure. It’s been really hard at training. But I’m really thankful for the opportunity.”
In her debut match, Pearson was expected to face Melbourne City’s forward Holly McNamara. She has played for Australia in 13 international matches and was the A-League top scorer of the 2024-25 season. In the same season, City topped the ranks. In the second half, Pearson successfully performed a goal-saving block to deny McNamara.
Talking about her experience of facing McNamara, Pearson recalled the moment when she faced her in the game and was honoured to receive the chance to play against top-ranked players like her.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking at the start when I saw the team sheet and I was like, ‘I’m going to have to play on Holly’. She gave me a run for my money today and I was really happy to keep her to no goals. But she’s an amazing player and I’m very lucky to be able to play against talented players like this,” she added.
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