New Zealand forward, Hannah Blake, has joined Adelaide United ahead of the Liberty A-League 2023/24 season.
Blake, 23, won her first professional contract with Perth Glory in March, signing as an injury replacement for Rylee Baisden until the end of the 2022/23 A-League Women season.
The striker scored on debut in a 3-1 win against Western United in February, and she totalled three goals in six starts for the Glory.
Her long-range strike against Melbourne City in a frantic 4-3 win was voted the Club’s goal of the season.
Blake was a member of the New Zealand U-17 side at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016™, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Papua New Guinea 2016™, and again at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018™.
Blake can’t wait to get started with her new Club in what will be her first full season on a professional list after finishing her college studies.
“I’m really pumped to be joining Adelaide which is a team you hear a lot about and there are some players also with similar previous experience here which will only help me settle in,” Blake said.
“I got a bit of a feel for the A-League last year which has only made me hungrier to properly launch my professional Club career,” Blake said.
“I’ve seen what Adelaide bring to the table and I’m extremely excited to hit the ground running in pre-season and with my new team.”
The dynamic and hard-working forward has been based in the USA since 2019 where she has starred for the University of Michigan Wolverines in NCAA Division 1, the highest level of US college football.
Head Coach, Adrian Stenta, hailed the signing as another great coup for the Club.
“We are thrilled to welcome Hannah to the Club after watching her perform in the US against some top players, and in her brief stint last season here in Australia,” Stenta said.
“To her credit she has shown commitment to her studies which is something we also value at Adelaide United, and now that Hannah can fully focus on football, the sky’s the limit.
“We really think she can flourish here in Adelaide and provide another passage to goal for us.”
