Two-time Sydney FC Championship winner and three-time Premiership star Cortnee Vine has been nominated for the AFC Women’s Player of the Year which will be announced later this month.
The AFC Annual Awards Seoul 2023 nominees have been revealed today and the Matildas star will come up against Japanese striker Kiko Seike who plays for Brighton and Hove Albion and South Korea’s Hyundai Steel Red Angels defender Kim Hye-ri for the award, with the winner to be crowned on October 29 in South Korea.
Vine who joined North Carolina Courage during the off-season is listed amongst a host of Asian football stars for awards including Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min and Qatar’s Asian Cup Final hat-trick hero Akram Afif.
Fellow Australian’s nominated include former Sydney FC Men’s Head Coach Graham Arnold for AFC Coach of the Year (Men), ex-Sydney FC player Leah Blayney for AFC Coach of the Year (Women) and Matilda Ellie Carpenter for AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Women).
Here are the nominations for the Women’s Award.
AFC Women’s Player of the Year – Cortnee Vine (Sydney FC/North Carolina Courage and AUS)
A nerveless winning spot-kick from Vine against France last August decided the longest penalty shootout in FIFA Women’s World Cup history and saw the Matildas become the first ever senior Australian side to make the last four of a FIFA World Cup. The forward, who featured in each of their seven matches as they finished fourth, was also in spectacular form at club level for Sydney FC. Ten goals and six assists from Vine helped the Sky Blues seal a record fifth A-League Women championship – her second in a row – to cap off a superb 2023/24 season.
Kiko Seike (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies/Brighton Hove & Albion and JPN)
Japanese striker Seike took the WE League by storm in the 2023/24 campaign in her 10th season at Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies, as she plundered 20 goals and dished out 10 assists in just 22 matches en route to a second consecutive title. Seike was equally prolific at the AFC Women’s Club Championship™ 2023, scoring in all four games to finish with seven goals and help Urawa lift their maiden Continental title. She was also part of the Nadeshiko’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 squad, playing thrice in their run to the Quarter-finals.
Kim Hye-ri (Hyundai Steel Red Angels and KOR)
Captain for both club and country, Korea Republic’s Kim is a commanding presence at the back and enjoyed another solid season in 2023/24. The international centurion led the Taeguk Ladies at their third consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup at Australia & New Zealand 2023, where they notably held Germany to a 1-1 draw. Kim also skippered Hyundai Steel Red Angels to a remarkable 11th straight WK League title and a runners-up finish at the AFC Women’s Club Championship™ 2023.
Recognising the growth of women’s football in recent years and the success of the Continent’s top women’s players, the AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Women) prize will be awarded for the first time at this edition, with either Australia’s Ellie Carpenter or Japan’s Yui Hasegawa poised to make history, taking the total number of award categories to 19.
The AFC Annual Awards Seoul 2023, being staged in Korea Republic for the first time, is scheduled to kick off at 8pm (GMT +9). Passionate fans of Asian football can follow all the action from the dazzling gala on the AFC’s digital channels.
The other glittering nominee lists for the AFC Annual Awards Seoul 2023 are:
AFC Player of the Year
Yazan Al Naimat (Al Ahli SC/Al Arabi SC and JOR)
Seol Young-woo (Ulsan HD/Crvena Zvezda and KOR)
Akram Afif (Al Sadd SC and QAT)
AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Men)
Mehdi Taremi (FC Porto/Internazionale and IRN)
Mousa Al Tamari (Montpellier HSC and JOR)
Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur and KOR)
AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Women)
Ellie Carpenter (Olympique Lyonnais and AUS)
Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City and JPN)
AFC Futsal Player of the Year
Saeid Ahmad Abbasi (IRN)
Fayzali Sardorov (TJK)
Dilshod Rakhmatov (UZB)
AFC Coach of the Year (Men)
Graham Arnold (Australia and AUS)
Go Oiwa (Japan U23 and JPN)
Hwang Sun-hong (Korea Republic U23 and KOR)
AFC Coach of the Year (Women)
Leah Blayney (Australia Women U20 and AUS)
Tomomi Miyamoto (Japan Women and JPN)
Park Youn-jeong (Korea Republic Women U20 and KOR)
AFC Youth Player of the Year (Men)
Gaku Nawata (Kamimura Gakuen High School and JPN)
Bae Jun-ho (Daejon Hana Citizen FC/Stoke City and KOR)
Abbosbek Fayzullaev (CSKA Moscow and UZB)
AFC Youth Player of the Year (Women)
Daniela Galic (Melbourne City/FC Twente and AUS)
Chae Un Yong (Wolmido SC and PRK)
Casey Phair (Angel City FC and KOR)
AFC Member Association of the Year (Platinum)
Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran
Japan Football Association
Korea Football Association
AFC Member Association of the Year (Diamond)
Chinese Football Association
Football Association of Thailand
Vietnam Football Federation
AFC Member Association of the Year (Gold)
Chinese Taipei Football Association
The Football Association of Hong Kong, China Limited
All Nepal Football Association
AFC Member Association of the Year (Ruby)
Bhutan Football Federation
Guam Football Association
Lao Football Federation
AFC Regional Association of the Year
Central Asian Football Association
East Asian Football Federation
South Asian Football Federation
AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Gold)
Football Australia
Chinese Football Association
Football Association of Singapore
AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Silver)
Guam Football Association
All India Football Federation
The Football Association of Thailand
AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Bronze)
Football Federation of Cambodia
Chinese Taipei Football Association
Vietnam Football Federation
AFC Referees Special Award
Yuichi Hatano (JPN)
Turki’ Abdullah Al Salehi (OMA)
Ibrahim Yousif Al Raeesi (UAE)
