Number 17 for Newcastle Jets in the Westfield W-League is striker Jenna Kingsley.
Jenna began her career with the Jets 12 months ago after making the decision to move from her hometown of Cambridge Park in Sydney’s West, hoping to reignite her footballing career after an injury setback.
“I decided to move to Newcastle to play for the Jets because I wanted to establish myself in a new environment and be able to build a career for myself up here,” said Jenna.
Prior to her contract with the Jets, Jenna played for the Central Coast Mariners in their inaugural season in 2008 before the team left the Westfield W-League competition in 2010.
Following her time at the Mariners, Jenna played for Sydney University for two years till she signed with Western Sydney Wanderers in their inaugural season, however, her time on the field was cut short after sustaining a knee injury in the second game of the 2012/13 season.
After a year off to recover, Jenna remained at the Wanderers for another season before signing with Sydney FC for their 2014/15 campaign, only to reinjure the same knee a few weeks prior to pre-season training.
With having such a major injury setback and not being able to pursue her dream of appearing in the Matildas again, after her first one appearance in 2007, her injury affected her both “mentally and physically”.
“[The injury] has impacted my [Westfield] W-League career immensely with not being able to gain consistency and build my game year after year.” she said.
Jenna found herself having to go “back to square one and starting all over again”.
Fighting back stronger than ever, Jenna signed with the Newcastle Jets in 2015 and left a lasting impression on Head Coach Craig Deans.
“Last year Jenna showed a lot of qualities to be an effective player and it was good for her to come through a full season with no injuries,” Deans said.
“Jenna’s pre-season has shown the benefits from last year.”
Deans continued: “She’s always positive, comes into training and makes people happy, so I like having her on the team.”
“She always has a good attitude despite the score, and never complains”.
Following an impressive first season with Newcastle Jets, Jenna has since resided in Newcastle.
“I love the lifestyle and community up here and football wise, being able to train with Deansy has already helped me a lot over the past year,” she said.
With feeling “a lot fitter, faster and stronger,” Jenna is heading into the season confidently, not only personally but also believes the team is as well.
“We won’t settle for anything less than a spot in the semi-finals!”
ON THE FIELD:
During last season with the Jets, Jenna became known for her fast pace and added dynamic pressure to the Jets’ front third – this attitude was often seen to lift the spirits of the team to push through in those dying minutes.
Although Jenna is smaller in stature than many Westfield W-League opponents, this does not stop her from remaining a strong player on the ball and challenging the ball when it is in the air.
OFF THE FIELD:
As Jenna’s first love is football, when she is away from the game she can be found passing on tips and tricks to local development squads, encouraging the improvement of the beautiful game at a grass roots level.
She is also studying landscape design and has recently begun studying horticulture.
