New Matilda, Adriana Taranto, and the Joy in Being Part of a Football Community
By Amy Schembri, Author of Making It…or Not, the real journey told by professional players
26/06/2025
When you meet newly inducted Matilda, Adriana Taranto, one thing that is clear is that football and family are everything, and her message is to always find and feel joy in your chosen craft, especially as a junior. “Our junior years were very enjoyable”, she said.
Adriana took to Ormond Park as an Essendon Royals player with an all-female team long before she knew she would become a Matilda, and she looks back on her time fondly. “We (Adriana and her equally talented twin sister, Melissa) played every game and won most of our games and tournaments. It was a positive start to our career”, she recalls.
The values at Essendon Royals S.C are centred around football, development, community, and family. However, it’s not always the football and development aspect that keeps players and members of the club staying put or coming back. It’s the strong sense of belonging and respect of its history and people within it, that does. It’s community and family.
While there’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to help instill and promote such values, one surefire way is to nourish joy. Allow fun. It’s the opportunities the club offers its community to be part of something special, and the proof is in the pudding…
Esteemed coach, Patrick Kisnorbo, once declared that his move to Essendon Royals was the “best decision I made”. He explains the club as “a real community club. A real family club.”
Inaugural Essendon Royals senior women’s player, Nadja Edwards recalls cleaning up empty cans of drink off the floor as a junior to earn one dollar following a seniors game, and going on exciting vacations with other Royals families. These are only a couple of many fond memories she still holds dear to her heart. Lucky for the club, Nadja continues to roam the halls as a life member of the Royals.
Former Melbourne Victory defender and A-League Champion Polly Doran describes her parents’ choice in sending her to Essendon Royals as a junior “a good result”. Polly went on to debut with the Royals senior team at the ripe age of fourteen.
Former A-League champion and highly respected A-League coach, Diogo Ferreira, blatantly says that it was the joy he experienced playing as a junior that set his passion for the game on fire. “My years at the Royals were enjoyable. I made a lot of friends. I’ve got fond memories of the club.”
Then there’s Michael Curcija (our very own Cij) – former Socceroo and valued Technical Director of the Royals:
“People put their heart and soul into this club and genuinely try to do the right thing. I know this is rare.”
While some of these players went on to play at elite levels, Essendon Royals S.C continues to cater for teams in the Victorian Premier Leagues, State Leagues, Community Leagues and National Premier Leagues.
Providing a space for players to engage in a game passionately shared by all, regardless of ability, is important in maintaining that sense of community they have worked so hard to build since its inception in 1959.
The club will always support and be proud of players who go on to obtain scholarships or professional contracts, but make no mistake, the same sense of pride is felt for the special players who become part of the furniture. The players who have been playing at the Royals for twenty years and counting.
The players who have left and then returned only to be met with open arms. The former players who are now coaching. The players who have retired from the game but have their children, or grandchildren donning a Royals shirt.
The people who may have never even played before but are part of the fabric that is the Royals community.
So, just like Adriana Taranto experienced the fun and joy that Essendon Royals S.C afforded her all those years ago, who knows what’s in store for some of our youngsters in the Optus Kickstarters program who are turning up weekly, with beaming smiles, ready to have some football fun with newly established friends.
Little do they know that these foundation years could be the beginning of a lifetime of belonging to a football family.
The Essendon Royals family.
Amy Schembri is the author of Making It…or Not, the real journey told by professional players
Her book explores the challenges and triumphs faced by professional footballers, offering a raw and inspiring look into their careers.
Through a series of Q&A interviews, a Socceroo, two Matildas, A-League champions, an A-League coach, and a former Liverpool wonderkid open up about their experiences—from the excitement of lacing up their first pair of boots to the reality of what success means for them today.
Suitable for a young player dreaming of the big leagues, or an adult wanting to help a young person navigate the game’s ups and downs, this book aims to inspire players to push through the tough times and determine what success looks like for them.
It is available as a paperback or e-book via Fair Play Publishing.
