Heart-warming scenes as Western Sydney rally around Wanderers academy prospect

There was a special young lady at the centre of Friday night’s Ninja A-League opener; Ariana Koltai-Bazan.

Koltai-Bazan tossed the coin before the 2025-26 curtain-raiser at Wanderers Football Park. It was a heart-warming moment.

The 13-year-old Wanderers academy prospect is battling cancer as Western Sydney’s Ninja A-league side rallied behind the teenager with special t-shirts and you can donate to her GoFundMe page here.

Koltai-Bazan is a talented young footballer, who was invited to train with INAC Kobe Leonessa – one of Japan’s top women’s teams – earlier this year. She currently plays for Western Sydney’s Under-14 side.

She was the first foreign player of her age ever to receive such an invitation from INAC Kobe Leonessa.

Koltai-Bazan started playing football aged six and from the age of 12-13, she earned a spot with the prestigious Football NSW Institute.