Adelaide United has signed teenager midfielders Sian Dewey and Miley Grigg on Youth Development contracts for the remainder of the 2023/24 Liberty A-League season.
Dewey’s signing caps a remarkable year for the 16-year-old who took out the Female Rising Star award at the Football South Australia Celebration of Football awards night in October, when she was also named as part of the WNPLSA Team of the Year, alongside new Adelaide United teammates Dylan Holmes, Nanako Sasaki and Chrissy Panagaris.
The Salisbury Inter junior was also the only South Australian selected for the Commbank Junior Matildas squad that played in the Under 17 women’s Asian Cup 2024 Round 2 Qualifiers against the Philippines and Vietnam in September.
Both Dewey and Grigg were part of the Football SA NTC outfit which made the WNPLSA grand final in a side also featuring fellow Reds Grace Wilson, Erin Kontoutsikos and Madeleine Wright.
Grigg – a more attacking midfielder – was called up by the Junior Matildas earlier this year for a training camp, having impressed in the NTC program.
A MetroStars junior, the 15-year-old has been part of the NTC program since 2019 and has also represented South Australia at the National Futsal Championships in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
Adelaide United Liberty A-League coach Adrian Stenta was pleased to welcome both Dewey and Grigg into the fold.
“Sian is a classical number six, very good technically, quite composed on the ball, and plays with maturity beyond her years,” Stenta said.
“Miley is a very good athlete and quite strong for someone so young. Her physical attributes set her apart.
“She’s a typical box-to-box midfielder with a lot of energy and a great engine.
“We’ve seen a lot of potential in both Sian and Miley and we wanted to get them into our program full-time to help with their development, but equally if their training and form warrants it, they’re available to be selected in match-day squads.”
Pending their registrations becoming official, both Dewey and Grigg will be available for selection for Saturday’s game against Western United at Marden Sports Complex.
