Royals land US College star Kelli McGroarty

In a major coup for our NPLW program, Essendon Royals are delighted to announce the signing of American striker Kelli McGroarty, a former Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year and standout at La Salle University and the University of Iowa.

McGroarty arrives in Melbourne after a stellar NCAA Division I career, where she led Iowa in goals and goal contributions, earned Offensive MVP honours and helped the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten Tournament title and NCAA Tournament run.

A record‑breaking goalscorer at Eastern Regional High School with more than 100 career goals, McGroarty carried her scoring touch into college, earning All‑Atlantic 10 First Team recognition at La Salle and delivering multiple decisive goals on the big stage.

Renowned for her relentless work rate, eye for goal and ability to step up in clutch moments, Kelli now brings her proven scoring pedigree to the Royals’ front line for the upcoming campaign.

While McGroarty is an unknown quantity on these shores, senior head coach Jaiden Van Der Heijden believes she could prove a breakout star in NPLW Victoria.

“Kelli is an out-and-out goalscorer,” he says.

“She’s very, very good in the air. Her aerial ability for someone her size is second to none.

“We expect her to get on the end of a lot of crosses, score a lot of goals and be a nuisance in this league. We’re really excited about bringing Kelly down.”