Neve Duston appointed U13 Head Coach for 2027

Alamein FC has appointed Senior NPLW player Neve Duston as Head Coach of the club’s U13 Victorian Youth Premier League (GVYPL1) team for the 2027 season.

One of the standout players of the 2026 NPLW Victoria season, Duston will make the step into Alamein’s GVYPL1 program after a successful first season as a Head Coach with the club’s U14 Academy team.

The appointment brings together two important parts of the Alamein pathway. Players beginning their NPL (GVYPL1) journey will be coached by a current Senior player who understands first-hand the standards, demands and opportunities that exist at the highest level of football within the club.

For Duston, 2027 will be her third year at Alamein FC and her second as a coach.

Duston joined Alamein in 2025 following an accomplished collegiate career with Lenoir-Rhyne University in the United States, where she started all 94 matches of her college career and earned multiple All-Region and All-Conference honours.

She has since established herself as a key member of Alamein’s Senior NPLW team, with an outstanding 2026 season earning recognition across the competition.

Duston was named NPLW Victoria Player of the Month for May, selected in the 2026 NPLW Victoria Team of the Season, and finished the season among the Top 10 for the NPLW Victoria Media Player of the Year.

At the same time, she has been building her experience on the other side of the touchline.

During the 2025/26 off-season, Duston spent time in the Northern Territory, where she completed her grassroots coaching qualification and worked alongside Matildas midfielder Chloe Logarzo as a supporting coach delivering Future Ballers sessions.

Returning to Alamein in 2026, she took charge of the club’s U14 Academy team. The group enjoyed a strong season in Community A competition, finishing second on the table while Duston continued to develop her own coaching approach and experience working with young female players.

Duston is now working towards her Football Australia C Licence as she prepares to take charge of the U13s in 2027.

Her progression from Academy coaching into the GVYPL1 program reflects Alamein’s commitment to developing coaches alongside players, and to creating opportunities for women to build meaningful careers within the game.

For the club’s youngest GVYPL1 players, it also provides something particularly valuable: a coach who can not only teach the game, but demonstrate through her own football what competing at Senior NPLW level requires.

Duston said she was excited to begin working with the new group.

“I’m so excited to be leading the U13 squad next season. Having been fortunate to experience the Alamein culture as both a player and a coach, I can’t wait to help develop and shape the group into a competitive team through positivity and a nurturing environment.”

The U13s represent the first stage of Alamein’s GVYPL1 pathway, where players begin building the technical ability, game understanding, competitive habits and confidence required to progress through the youth program.

For Duston, it is an opportunity to help shape that foundation while bringing the experience of her own playing career directly into the development environment.

She will take charge of the U13 program as Alamein begins preparations for the 2027 season.