Emma Dundas and Georgia Ritchie are the first A-League Women’s players to ink new deals with the Newcastle Jets ahead of the 2026/27 season.
18-year-old goalkeeper Ritchie put pen to paper on a fresh contract which will see her in the gold and blue for another two seasons, while Dundas extended her stay in Newcastle for another year.
Dundas told the Newcastle Weekly it was an “easy decision”.
“I obviously love getting to play for my hometown,” she said.
“I grew up here, grew up watching the Jets.
“I just love getting to play for the club in front of my friends and family. “
The 19-year-old midfielder joined the Jets Academy system at 10-years-old and made her A-League debut at 16 during the 2023/24 season in an F3 Derby.
She went on to become the second youngest player in A-League Women’s history to reach 50 games, and Dundas said her game has changed a lot since she first started four years ago.
“I was definitely very much still just a child when I first started playing A-League, I think it took me a while to sort of find my feet and become a confident player,” Dundas said.
“Over the years I’ve definitely developed a pretty good level of confidence and I think I’ve gotten pretty competitive in the league and sort of been able to match my opponents physically and ability-wise.”
The re-signings come as the Jets reshape their squad following the departure of eight players at the end of the 2025/26 season.
On Wednesday 5 August, it was announced that Josie Wilson, Olivia Page, India Breier, Haley Johnson, Charlotte Lancaster, Melina Ayres, Anna Leat and Kelli Brown will depart the Club at the expiration of their A-League contract for the 2025/26 season.
Dundas said she’s confident they’ll be able to find some good replacements.
“It’s disappointing to have those players leaving, especially some big names, but I think I’m pretty confident that Stephen [Hoyle] is going to find the right players to fill the gaps and make sure that we’re an even stronger squad than last year,” she said.
The 2026/27 A-League Women season begins on October 16.
In the meantime, Dundas has opted not to play in the National Premier League during the off-season, instead training in Sydney with the Future Matildas and alongside the Cooks Hill men’s squad.
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