More Than the Result: Celebrating the Chargers’ 2026 Season
What a season.
The Port Melbourne Chargers came together for our 2026 Best & Fairest to celebrate individual achievement, recognise the people behind the scenes, reflect on an extraordinary year and, perhaps most importantly, celebrate what this club is becoming.
It can be easy to forget that this was only our second season.
Just two years ago, before we had played our first game, our players, coaches and committee sat together and talked about what we wanted the Port Melbourne Chargers to stand for. From those conversations came our vision, mission and values and an ambition to do more than put a women’s football team on the field.
We want to lift the bar for women’s football.
We are building a club where women belong, where they are supported to not only develop on the field, but to lead and grow in all aspects of their lives, and where Community, Integrity, Passion, Respect and Excellence are not simply words written on a page.
In 2026, we saw those values in action. While reaching a Grand Final in just our second season was an extraordinary achievement, the story of the year was about much more than the result.
It was about how we got there.
Building the club beyond the scoreboard
The season began well before Round One. Our partnership with Foundation Partner Salta Properties continued to create opportunities beyond football, beginning with International Women’s Day, where the Port Melbourne Chargers were able to share our story and talk about women, leadership and sport.
Our leadership program continued through Navigating Networking Like a CEO, with the support of Michelle Redfern and Salta, opening our leadership development to local sporting organisations, community members and businesses and reinforcing something that has been central to the Chargers from the beginning: relationships and networks matter. Networks create opportunities, build capability and connect people who want to make change.
Then came our Community Welcome BBQ and jumper presentation and finally, it was time for our season to begin. As the season progressed, there was just as much happening away from the scoreboard.
Our Women Who Make Us round celebrated Mother's Day and the women whose influence shapes our lives. Zara and Jess delivered a hugely successful Trivia Night. We joined other local sporting clubs with the Port Melbourne & Fishermans Bend Sporting Alliance, strengthening the collective voice advocating for the facilities and infrastructure our rapidly growing community need.
And throughout it all, people kept stepping forward.
When we needed a trainer, Samantha Stoney answered the call, quickly refreshing her trainer
qualification and became a constant presence for our players throughout the remainder of the season.
It is those contributions, often made quietly and without fanfare, that allow community sporting clubs to exist.
Celebrating our milestones and our history
The back half of the season gave us plenty to celebrate.
We recognised Claire Highfield's 100th game, Zara Wilson's 50th and Georgia Harris’s
250th game, an extraodinary achievement.
Our Pathways & Pioneers Round on 8 August was another important moment.
The Port Melbourne Chargers did not appear from nowhere.
Women's and girls' football in Port Melbourne has been built over many years by players, coaches, parents, volunteers and administrators across the Port Melbourne Colts Juniors and Seniors, the early Port Borough women's teams that created the foundation for the Port Melbourne VFLW program.
The Port Chargers rebuilt an important missing piece in that pathway, a senior community women's team, we stand on the work of those who came before us.
Pathways & Pioneers gave us the opportunity to recognise that contribution and remind ourselves that building something sustainable also means understanding and celebrating the history that made it possible.
That same day delivered one of the defining football moments of the home-and-away season when the Chargers defeated the previously undefeated Beaumaris.
Something was building.
Our pathway continues to go from strength to strength, with Chargers players playing an important role in developing the next generation of girls coming through Port Melbourne. Star player and winner of the Nunzio Player Award, Tanisha Clark continued coaching the Port Colts Junior U16 Girls, leading them to a Grand Final victory, while Chargers Captain Maegan Harrison and Vice-Captain Claire Highfield coached the U18 Girls to their own Grand Final win while also leading their own team through our Grand Final campaign.
With the U14 Girls also winning their Grand Final and the U11 Girls reaching finals, the pathway from junior girls’ football through to senior women’s football is one of Port Melbourne’s greatest strengths. Just as importantly, our senior players are actively giving back, coaching, mentoring and helping build the generations that will follow them.
Our Best & Fairest 2026
The night began with players, coaches, partners, families and supporters arriving for an evening celebrating an extraordinary season.
Club Photographer Darren Wood captured arrival photos for the evening.
The Best & Fairest count celebrated outstanding individual seasons, each of our awards recognised something slightly different about what it means to contribute to the Chargers.
2026 Best & Fairest — Zara Wilson, 20 votes
Runner-Up — Georgia Smith, 14 votes
Third Place — Chloe Kamberis, 13 votes
Nunzio Players' Player Award — Tanisha Clark
Kerry Ashbrook Award — Maegan Harrison
Salta Most Improved Player — Caroline Leslie
Salta Best Finals Player — Ashlee Ladson
Most Consistent Player — Jess Pham
Coaches Award — Alex Gurr
Congratulations to every recipient.
The Nunzio Players' Player Award is particularly meaningful because it comes from teammates. It recognises the respect, camaraderie and commitment that Nunzio himself demonstrates every week, at training, on match day and wherever the club needs him.
Without people like Nunzio, community football clubs simply do not function. His commitment to the Chargers and our players is extraordinary, and Tanisha Clarke being recognised by her peers as reflecting those qualities is something incredibly special.
The Kerry Ashbrook Award recognises something different again. It isn't about the most goals, the loudest voice or the biggest achievements on paper. It recognises the player or volunteer who embodies what our club stands for through their passion, commitment, support for others and the way they live our values.
The 2026 recipient, Captain Maegan Harrison, could not be in the room because she was unwell, but in true Chargers fashion she joined us remotely. Maegan wanted everyone to know how incredibly proud she was of this group of women and the wider club, and how humbled she is to lead them out each week. Along with Harriet she also thanked the playing group and club for the way Mackenzie has been embraced as part of the Chargers family.
There could hardly have been a more fitting recipient.
The Salta Awards, presented by Sam Tarascio, recognised two players whose development and performance reflected the standards we continue to build at the Chargers.
The Salta Most Improved Player Award was presented to Caroline Leslie, recognising the growth she demonstrated across the season, while Ashlee Ladson received the Salta Best Finals Player Award for her outstanding contribution throughout our finals campaign. Ashlee was unavailable to accept her award.
Presented on behalf of our Foundation Partner, Salta Properties, the awards reflect a partnership that has always been about more than sponsorship, it is about investing in women, supporting their development and creating the environment for them to perform at their best.
We are incredibly grateful to Sam, Carmen and Salta for continuing to stand alongside the Port Melbourne Chargers and share our ambition for women’s football.
A finals campaign we will never forget
There are seasons you remember because of where you finished.
And then there are seasons you remember because of how they made you feel.
The Chargers' 2026 finals campaign will stay with many of us for a very long time.
From Steve's pre-game words throughout the finals, to the intensity and emotion of our games against Williamstown and Old Melburnians, through to Grand Final day, each week seemed to demonstrate something deeper about this group.
President Kerry Ashbrook emphasised throughout the evening that to bear witness to our finals campaign is something she will carry with her always. The way that the Coaches and Players conducted themselves was a master class in all how women’s football should be led.
“Each pre-game speech became another demonstration of our culture and values in action, nowhere was that more evident than in the work Haz put into the pre match preparation on Grand Final Day"
Every player received a personalised note recognising who they were, what they had contributed and why their role mattered. Importantly, that recognition extended beyond the players taking the field. It acknowledged everyone whose work throughout the season had helped get the team there.
The message wasn't about suddenly finding something extraordinary. It was about being us, trust the work and preparation already done. Lift the teammate beside you. Play with freedom. Play for each other.
Jess Pham, having continued to show up for her teammates week after week through
her own injury rehabilitation, added her own words before the Grand Final, another moment that captured the depth of connection within this group.
Winning matters. We are a competitive football club and we want to succeed.
Equally important is seeing a group of women arrive at the biggest game of their season knowing they did not need to become somebody different to deserve to be there.
They had already done the work.
The people behind the team
The evening also gave us an opportunity to recognise the enormous number of people whose contribution rarely appears on a statistics sheet. Our coaching group has been exceptional.
Haz's leadership of the program, supported by H, Stu, Pepa, Aiden & Rach and has helped build develop our players in every way, not only improving individual performance but building a stronger collective.
There were acknowledgements for those supporting player performance and wellbeing; for our trainers and game-day volunteers; for Cass, John, Amanda, Dom, Marina and Tanvi; and for the countless people who arrive early, stay late, set up, pack down, organise functions, take photographs, raise money, solve problems and simply ask, What needs to be done?
Darren's photography has documented the story of this club and given us some extraordinary memories of the season. Zara and Jess have put enormous work into our events and again delivered a fantastic Best & Fairest evening.
Our captain and vice-captain were rightly recognised before the night ended for something that cannot be captured in a vote count, the way their leadership makes people want to come back, belong and be part of this club.
That may be one of the most important measures of leadership there is.
We also acknowledged Michelle Redfern and Life You Choose, who stepped in at short notice to support the purchase of our clash jumpers for the Grand Final.
When the requirement arose during Grand Final week, Michelle's immediate willingness to help meant the club could respond without hesitation. It was another example of the people around the Chargers seeing a need, stepping forward and backing our women when it mattered most and we are enormously grateful for that support.
More than a logo on our jumper
None of what we are building happens without people and organisations prepared to believe in it.
Our Foundation Partner, Salta Properties, has supported the Chargers since almost the beginning.
Their commitment came when our club was new, our future was largely unwritten and there were no guarantees about what the Chargers would become. That support has allowed us to invest in our players, programs and club experience in ways that simply would not otherwise have been possible.
Salta has always been more than a logo on the back of our jumper. The partnership is built around a shared belief in elevating women, developing leadership, creating
opportunity and leaving a positive legacy. We were proud to present Sam with the Salta framed jumper from our Foundation Season as a token of appreciation for their support
As Sam reflected on the night, the alignment is not just organisational, it is personal. The Chargers have become a club they enjoy being part of and a community they feel connected to. We are incredibly proud and grateful for that connection and support.
And now we keep building
The 2026 season gave us plenty to celebrate. A Grand Final, milestone games, memorable wins, individual awards.
New partnerships and stronger community connections.
But perhaps the greatest achievement is that, only two seasons into our existence, the identity of this football club is becoming even stronger.
We know what we want to stand for, we know the environment we want women to experience when they walk through our doors.
And increasingly, we see the behaviours, relationships and decisions across the club match the values we set for ourselves at the beginning.
There is still plenty of work ahead.
Recruitment for 2027 has already begun. We want to rebuild our second team. Our player health and performance program will continue to grow. We will keep advocating for better facilities, strengthening our community connections and investing in the women who choose to be part of the Chargers.
But after a season like 2026, one thing is clear.
We are building something special in Port Melbourne.
And we are only getting started.
While you're here, do you want to know more about how to Join The Charge? There are many ways to get involved.
Interested in Playing?
Be part of something bigger. The Chargers are building a women’s football club where everyone belongs — whether you’re picking up a footy for the first time or looking to take your game to the next level.
Come down to preseason training and get involved
Volunteer With Us
The Port Melbourne Chargers Women’s Football Club is a community‑driven, values‑led club building a sustainable pathway for girls and women in football — from juniors through to senior competition. We don’t exist without volunteers. Full stop.
Volunteering with the Chargers means contributing to a club that prioritises belonging, inclusion, leadership, and excellence, while helping shape the future of women’s sport in Port Melbourne. Whether you can give a few hours a month or want to be deeply involved, there’s a role for you.
Interested in Partnering or Sponsoring a Player?
The Port Melbourne Chargers Women’s Football Club is a community‑driven, values‑led club building a sustainable pathway for girls and women in football — from juniors through to senior competition. As a new club, partnerships and sponsorships play a vital role in helping us grow that pathway and strengthen opportunities for women in our community.
Player Sponsorship — $750
Player sponsorship is an accessible way to directly support our players while aligning your name or business with the growth of women’s sport. Sponsors receive recognition across our channels and at club events, and help reduce the financial barriers for players representing the Chargers.
Club Sponsorship Opportunities
We’re also welcoming conversations with businesses interested in partnering with the club more broadly. As a young and rapidly growing program, there are still opportunities — big and small — to join with our Foundation Sponsor, Salta, on our jumpers and across a range of club assets.
Whether you’re looking to support a player, elevate your brand, or contribute to the future of women’s football in Port Melbourne, reach out to find out more.
Your next chapter starts here.
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