Willa Pearson
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 December 2010 | |||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
Current team | Sydney FC | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Belrose-Terrey Hills Raiders | ||||||||||||||||
| Sydney FC | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2025– | Sydney FC | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| Australia U17 | 5 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13 November 2025 | ||||||||||||||||
Willa Pearson (born 24 December 2010)[1] is an Australian dual-sport athlete who plays soccer as a defender for A-League Women club Sydney FC and the Australia under-17 national team, and cricket as a wicketkeeper for the Manly Warringah Waratahs. She is known for being the youngest player to ever debut in the A-League Women, having debuted aged 14 years and 312 days.[2][3][4]
Early life
Pearson was born on Christmas Eve (24 December) in 2010.[1] Growing up, she played local soccer for Belrose-Terrey Hills Raiders[1] and local cricket for Manly Warringah District.[5]
Club career
Sydney FC
In July 2025, Pearson signed her first senior contract with Sydney FC.[6]
In the opening match of the 2025–26 season on 1 November 2025, Pearson made her debut for Sydney FC, playing the full 90 minutes in the club's 2–2 draw at home with reigning premiers Melbourne City.[7][8] Aged 14 years and 312 days old, she made history and became the youngest player, male or female, to ever debut in the A-Leagues, a debut that made worldwide headlines though sparked an online debate on whether she was too young to be playing in a senior sports league.[9][10][11][12] The previous record was set by Ischia Brooking, who was 14 years and 347 days old when she debuted as a substitute in second half stoppage time for Sydney FC's arch-rivals Western Sydney Wanderers in a 2–2 draw away to Newcastle Jets.[2][13]
International career
Pearson has represented Australia as a youth international at an under-17 level.[1]
Personal life
Being a dual-sport athlete in cricket and soccer during her childhood and teenage years, her favourite celebrity is Ellyse Perry, an Australian cricketer who also played soccer until 2016 who has represented Australia at both the Women's Cricket World Cup and the FIFA Women's World Cup, and like Pearson also played for Sydney FC.[3][4] A hip hop fan,[13] her favourite band is the Australian hip hop group Hilltop Hoods, while her favourite brand is German shoemaker Birkenstock.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Willa Pearson". Sydney FC.
- ^ a b Rampling, Ali (1 November 2025). "Willa Pearson, 14, becomes youngest player in A-League history: "It was a bit nerve-wracking at the start"". The Athletic. The New York Times.
- ^ a b Lulham, Amanda (2 November 2025). "Willa Pearson youngest A-League debutant at 14, also a cricketer whose hero is Ellyse Perry". The Australian.
- ^ a b Lulham, Amanda (2 November 2025). "Willa Pearson youngest A-League debutant at 14, also a cricketer whose hero is Ellyse Perry". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Hole, Ned (6 November 2025). "Tah Talk with Joel Foster – Club Champs on a roll". Manly Warringah District Cricket Club.
- ^ "Willa Pearson signs for Sydney FC". Manly Warringah Football Association. 31 July 2025.
- ^ Reynolds, Lucien (1 November 2025). "Sydney FC earn solid draw with premiers". Sydney FC.
- ^ Burke, Emma (1 November 2025). "City rescue draw from jaws of defeat twice over". Impetus Football.
- ^ "Sydney FC's Willa Pearson becomes youngest A-League player ever". Sydney FC. 1 November 2025.
- ^ Comito, Matt (1 November 2025). "A 14-year-old just became the youngest player in A-Leagues history. Her reaction was special". A-Leagues.
- ^ "14-year-old Sydney FC defender makes history as A-Leagues' youngest ever player". Stuff. 2 November 2025.
- ^ "How young is too young? What's been missed in the A-League's big age debate". Football360. 2 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Youngest ever A-League debutant at 14 also has cricket in the bag". KidsNews. 3 November 2025.
External links
- Willa Pearson at Sydney FC
- Willa Pearson at WorldFootball.net