Former Sandringham SC midfielder Kirstie Shearing has continued her top-flight journey at Kingston Heath, signing with Bayside United for the upcoming NPLW season.
She is the third player confirmed to have made the small move from Sandy to Bayside, with Emma Robers and Lily O’Brien – under 18’s – both selected for the club’s inaugural season.
The long-serving Shearing has been with Sandringham since 2011, making 88 appearances for the club in league competition, scoring four goals.
She made a name for herself with the Gippsland Soccer League outfit that earned back-to-back promotions from State League 2 to the Premier League.
They contested in the 2008 WPL season, where Shearing scoring five goals from 17 appearances in a team that finished 13 points adrift at the foot of the ladder.
In that season, she played with names such as Laura Croft, Jacqueline Vogt and former Sandringham teammate Steph Tanti, who all went on to enjoy stellar WPL – and even W-League – careers.
She secured a move to Preston Lions the following season, where the club narrowly avoided relegation, before going down in 2010 as they finished bottom on the ladder.
Shearing made 31 appearances for the club, scoring six goals in the process, taking her top flight tally to 136 games in eight seasons.
Her time at Sandringham was considerably more successful as she helped her side towards the minor premiership in 2011 and a memorable League and Cup double over South Melbourne in 2013.
The midfielder appeared in all but two games in the 2015 campaign, making 15 starts and five appearances off the bench.
She becomes the eighth signing of the season for Bayside as their club begins to take shape heading into their March debut in the NPLW.
Feature Image: Graeme Furlong