Capital drew 1-1 with a strong Mainland Pride team at Wakefield Park in the opening game of the ASB Women's League. In the other Southern Conference game, Central drew 3-3 with Football South, which makes next week game interesting. Capital are travelling to Palmerston North to play Central, Sunday 4 November, Memorial Park, 1pm kick off.

Review of the game in the Dominion Post can be found here

Full details of all the games can be found on the NZ Football website here

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Media Release 26 October

This weekend sees Capital kick off its ASB National Women’s League campaign with the first game this Sunday 28 October at Wakefield Park. This is the top women’s national competition, the female equivalent to Team Wellington in the ASB Premiership competition.

While last year's women’s league focussed on youth – just five over-age players were allowed in each squad and only three on the pitch at any one time – the restrictions this season have been relaxed to match the age group World Cup cycles for both U17s and U20s.

The format is made up of a Northern Division (Northern Football Federation, Auckland Football Federation, Waikato Football Federation and NZ U17s) and a Southern Division (Central Football Federation, Capital Football Federation, Mainland Football and Football South). The competition runs from the weekend of 27/28 October with a home and away fixture for each side in each division with the top two sides from both divisions meeting in the semi-finals.

Capital Football has always fielded a competitive side, winning the title in 2010, and this year is no different, with some touting Capital the favourites to win the Southern Division. The current squad has no fewer than seven players with international experience including former Football Ferns Emily McColl and Hannah Wall, Junior Football Ferns Evie Millynn and Tessa McPherson and Young Football Ferns CJ Bott, Emma Rolston and Megan Robertson.

Head Coach Paul Greig said the girls have been working extremely hard preseason with team and individual goals of technical improvement, team work and raising the profile of the female game in Wellington.

Greig says the standard of the competition is particularly high this year but that is only a good thing as it is raising the standard of female football across the country.

Game 1: Capital Football v Mainland Pride, Sunday 28 October, Wakefield Park, Island Bay, Kick off 1.00pm

Full Squad: 1-Cushla LICHTWARK (gk), 2-Grace SURRIDGE, 3-Tessa MCPHERSON, 4-CJ BOTT, 5-Amanda RASCH, 6-Evie MILLYNN, 7-Maxine COOPER, 8-Kelsi RUTENE, 9-Hannah WALL, 10-Emily MCCOLL, 11-Kennedy BRYANT, 12-Megan ROBERTSON, 13-Lucy STOTTER, 14-Emily STOTTER, 15-Katie BARROTT, 16-Renee BACON, 17-Hope GILCHRIST, 18-Emma ROLSTON, 19-Cara CHUNG, 20-Katreena DRAKE, 21-Ellen STIRLING, 22-Rebecca JEFFRIES, 23-Anna WITTMANN-WENZEL (gk)

Coach: Paul Greig

Assistant Coach: Natalie Lawrence

Assistant Coach: Peter Royle

Goalkeeping Coach: Lily Li

Medic / Masseuse: Janet Comeskey

Team Manager: Rob Houghton

Full Draw: