ESSENDON
Essendon Royals Soccer Club is proud to confirm that Grace Maher will continue as Technical Director – Girls for the 2027 season, her second full year leading the girls’ pathway at the club.
Maher took on the role in December 2025, succeeding Jaiden Van Der Heijden as he stepped up to coach the senior women. She arrived with a playing career that started earlier than almost anyone’s. Born in Dubbo, she signed with Canberra United at 15, the youngest player at the time to sign with a W-League club, and started in Canberra’s 2014 Grand Final win. Her career since has taken in Melbourne Victory, Western United and KR Reykjavík in Iceland, alongside the Young Matildas.
What makes her role at the Royals unusual is that she plays as well as leads. Maher has been part of the NPLW squad throughout 2026, on the scoresheet against Box Hill in May and Bentleigh in August, and set up two of the four goals in the Nike FC Cup Final as the club lifted its first major trophy. The senior women finished the home-and-away season second, with 77 goals, the most in the competition, and a home preliminary final to come in September.
Underneath that, she oversees a girls’ program that has just completed its second season in the Girls Victoria Youth Premier League across Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17, and goes into its third in 2027. Two of its players, Emmie Butler and Abigail Ellinghaus, made their senior NPLW debuts this year.
“I’m very excited to be back,” said Maher.
“I’ve coached a lot, I’ve been a player, so for me it was really getting an understanding of Royals as a club, from community all the way through to our top leagues. It was really pleasing to see that it’s such a community-driven club that is also operating at such a high level.
“With such a growing youth program as well, it was really exciting for me to jump in this year, see where we’re at, and then start looking at elevating that and creating a really enjoyable environment where girls become obsessed with football.”
She sees the foundation as the thing to build on.
“Laying a cultural foundation is super important, and it’s been really nice to see that that is succinct between all three teams. I’ve loved seeing the enjoyment and the community that the girls have within the three teams despite the different age groups.
“The first thing is the enjoyment and the love and the obsession for the game. Creating a culture like that is so important to me. That’s how I fell in love with football and I’m so involved today, and I want others to experience that.
“Then we build with our coaches on designing things behind the scenes to improve our footballing ability, building life skills for the girls and expanding their knowledge. There’s such a good foundation there that we’re in a really good position.”
And she has seen the pathway working from inside the senior dressing room.
“I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the girls that have come in and made their senior debuts. I was a young player that had to step up into that environment, and it’s a really good sign that they were not overwhelmed and they were so composed when they came in. That is a testament to the pathway that they’ve come through.
“I would love to have been at a club when I was a young player where I could stay from the juniors all the way up. This year we’re going to be looking at bringing some younger girls all the way into our under 20s squad as well.
“Jaiden and the people that have come before me have done a wonderful job in setting that foundation, and we work closely together, which is so important.”
Maher’s recommitment gives the girls’ program the thing a young pathway needs most, which is the same person holding the plan two years running.
A reminder that Expressions of Interest for our 2027 Girls Victoria Youth Premier League squads and our Community teams are now open.