Rising midfield star Hana Lowry is aiming to take her game to another level after leaving Perth Glory to sign for A-League Women powerhouse Sydney FC on a two-year deal.
Lowry won Glory's best-and-fairest award last season, and she has notched 72 appearances for Perth since making her debut in 2019.
Glory have embarked on a big rebuild since failing to make the finals for a fifth consecutive year, but they were keen to hang on to Lowry.
However, the 21-year-old is eager to start a new chapter elsewhere in a bid to advance her career even further.
"I am so excited to be joining the biggest club in the country," Lowry said.
"Sydney have always been challenging at the top of the table and I believe that they can take my game to another level.
"I will try my absolute hardest to help this club win more silverware and win their third Championship in a row and I can't wait to get started."
Glory chief executive Anthony Radich hasn't given up hope of Lowry returning in the future.
"We have loved having her with us and very much wanted her to stay," Radich said.
"We are investing to build a competitive women's squad and we allowed Hana the time and space to consider what was a very good offer, but she has opted to move on in order to experience a different environment and take on a new challenge as part of her personal development.
"While we are very disappointed to lose her, we understand and respect her decision and appreciate that it was not made easily.
"It is a similar situation to the one we saw with Josh Risdon a few years ago and like Josh, hopefully we will see Hana return to the club at some point in the future."
Glory will field a new-look squad next season, with Lowry, captain Natasha Rigby (retired), Millie Farrow (Sydney) and goalkeeper Morgan Aquino (DC Power) among the biggest departures.
Coach Alex Epakis stepped down as coach due to personal reasons, with Stephen Peters named as his replacement.ย
