After inking his first professional deal, Daniel Wilmering is ready to make his mark.
A name that has recently become synonymous with the Wanderers identity, is the name of Daniel Wilmering.
A product of his own environment, Wilmering has been part of the Wanderers trajectory both on and off the field.
As many would know, Wilmering was a ball boy in the Wanderers first home match back in 2012 and joined the Wanderers Academy a couple of seasons later and played in both the Foxtel Y-League and National Premier League competitions.
The agile defender worked his way up through the Academy system before being promoted to the first team back in 2019.
Fast forward two years later and Wilmering has solidified in his place in the starting squad, made his club debut against English heavyweights Leeds United and scored his first A-League goal, all at the age of 20.
Wilmering is one of many youngsters this season that have been successful graduates of the Wanderers Academy which since 2015 has been producing a production line of not only talent, but role models for the Western Sydney community.
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Following a number of fantastic performances, an unfortunate Anterior Crucial Ligament (ACL) injury back in December 2019 saw Wilmering sidelined for the remainder of the season, right as it was kicking off.
But the youngsters mentality, resilience and hard-working attitude saw him fight back stronger than ever before.
Just over a year later, the Western Sydney local made his comeback from injuryagainst Melbourne Victory andhas gone on to feature in a handfulof matches.
Picking right up where he left off.
Then to cap off Wilmering’s rise through the ranks, the young gun signed his first professional contract which was a dream come true and the culmination of many years of dedication and sacrifice.
“It was always a dream of mine, early on when the Wanderers came into the competition to play for them,” said Wilmering.
“Now that I’ve signed a professional deal, it’s a really good feeling.
“I think we are building something really good here under head coach Carl Robinson and his assistants Kenny Miller and Labinot Haliti.
“I’ve still got so much toimprove upon and I’ll get bigger and stronger.”
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To think Wilmering has only been in the A-League environment for close to two years and has settled in so well is a testament to not only the Wanderers Academy but his upbringing.
“Just like myself, my familyhave put in the same dedication and hard work, if not more,”said Wilmering.
“They’ve had to sacrifice their own lives and jobs to help me get to training.
“So it was a very good feeling (getting a contract) and they were really proud of me, and I’m grateful for all the work they put in as well.”
The sacrifice has well and truly paid off for Wilmering and if this is only the beginning, we’re very excited for what is to come.
