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Deb Rodda has such a strong love of football and an infectious enthusiasm for the way sport brings people together, she continued to play into her more senior years – in several Masters Games competitions.
In fact, her SA Masters teams at the Asian Pacific Masters Games won consecutive gold medals in the late 1990s, then a bronze medal at the 2002 World Masters in Melbourne.
But it was back in 1995 that she enjoyed one of her peak experiences in the game. Deb Rodda had been chosen as the Australian women’s U19 team manager for the Dallas Cup, an international tournament in the US.
The Dallas Cup is considered one of the most prestigious tournaments in the US, generally designed for youth players.
In an extraordinary outcome, Australia wrestled the trophy away from the Americans for the first time in the history of the tournament.
Her attention to detail, organisational skills, and an encouraging and positive personality meant she was perfect for the role as manager – as can be seen in this list of appointments:
Off the field, her leadership was important in the SA Women’s Soccer Association’s development. Debra was a member of the SAWSA Management Committee 1987 to 1999 and again 2004 to 2007 and was elected as Vice President 1988-99.
Debra Rodda was inducted to the Football SA Hall of Fame in 2008 as a Member for outstanding performance.
Footnotes:
