Southern United have secured the services of former South Melbourne duo Tiffany Eliadis and Saphri Lines for their debut NPLW Victoria season in 2016.
Dual Gold Medallist, twice crowned WPL Premier and W-League Champion Eliadis comes with a colourful CV, which has seen her win just about everything possible at state level.
Starting her footballing career as a goalkeeper, she eventually moved into an outfield position, where she played a multitude of positions before settling in on her favoured striker role.
She spent time at Dandenong Thunder, Endeavour United and Berwick City in her youth, where she spent most of her junior career playing in age groups 3-5 years older than herself.
Eliadis made the move to South Melbourne in 2011, where she’s helped the side win consecutive WPL Premierships in 2014-15, the Minor Premiership in 2013-14 as well as a Cup Final loss in 2014.
On a personal note, Eliadis twice won the league Golden Boot (2013-14) and in doing so, twice took out the prestigious Gold Medal for the best and fairest in the WPL, becoming the youngest player in its history to win the award, coming just weeks after her 18th birthday.
The now 20-year-old has spent three years in the W-League system with Melbourne Victory – although she missed selection this season – where she’s been in the periphery of the first-team, making 15 appearances and aiding in the club’s Championship winning season of 2013.
Close ties with coach Stuart Munro – whom she was coached by at the Rowville Sports Academy Football Program – helped secure the move from South to Southern.
“What attracted me to Southern United was the chance to come to a club that is making a fresh start, not only as a club, but in woman’s football,” Eliadis said via press release.
“I want to come in and make a real statement for myself, both as a player and with Southern United – to give back to the region where her football started.
“The key person in convincing me that Southern United would provide all the football opportunities I’m looking for was Stuart Munro. I have a real trust in Stuart that together we can achieve my goals.”
England born Lines began her footballing career within the Bristol City Football Academy, spending six-years in the system before making the move to UK Women’s Premier League second-division side Chippenham Town at the age of 15 to play senior football, where she finished as the club’s leading goal scorer.
She then spent time at divisional rivals Frome Town Ladies and Larkhall Athletic, where at the latter she earned plaudits for her stunning performances; winning the Players’ Player, Manager’s Player and Referee’s Player (twice) of the Season in her stint with the club.
Lines tried her luck in the college system in America at the age of 20, moving to California for a season, before making the move to Australia.
A season-long stint at South Melbourne followed, where she impressed on the flanks with her quick feet and fearlessness on the ball; scoring once in the Qualifying Final loss to Ashburton United.
“Woman’s football and the way the girls play is very different to how the game is played in the UK. I believes this has been a great challenge for me as I adapt my game to this style of play,” Lines said via press release.
“The initial training sessions with Stuart have been fantastic and I could tell from the first session that Stuart Munro is a very good coach. His style of coaching is what I am used to because it’s very similar to how I used to play and train back home in the UK. I just can’t wait for the season to start.”