At 1.55 meters tall, Aria Julie Romano is often one of the shorter players on the football pitch, but her height has not hindered her growth as a promising talent in Singapore’s women’s football scene. The 14-year-old midfielder and winger, who has been part of the Singapore national women’s youth setup since 2024, recently received an overseas football scholarship that will further advance her development.

On July 26, Aria was among three young footballers awarded the Unleash the Roar! (UTR) overseas football scholarship during a ceremony held at the Asian Civilisations Museum. The other recipients were 15-year-old boys Matteo del Rosario, a midfielder, and forward Aayden Naim Fakrul Nazuri Nawak, both from the National Development Centre (NDC) Under-15 team.

Aria, who plays for the NDC U-16 girls’ team and made her senior club debut for the Women’s Premier League champions Lion City Sailors in April, will spend four years training and studying at the IMG Academy in Florida. Meanwhile, Matteo and Naim will have a one-year development period at King’s College in Spain, continuing their football training with Rayo Alcobendas, a youth club based in Madrid.

Born to a Scottish father and a Singaporean mother, Aria began her football journey in 2021 at the Turf City academy, where she initially played in boys’ teams and competitions. She credits this experience for helping her turn her smaller stature into an advantage, focusing on technique, speed, and physicality. “Sometimes people assume that because we’re smaller, we’re not as strong, but then I’ve learnt how to use my body well and compete against bigger players,” she said. Aria added that her height allows her to be quicker and more agile on the field.

Aria’s progression includes notable school-level achievements, such as scoring a hat-trick in 2025 during the C Division girls’ National School Games final, leading her Centre-Based Partnership (CBP) W3 team to a 7-0 victory over defending champions Meridian Secondary School. In April this year, she captained CBP W3 to a 2-1 win over the same school to secure their first B Division girls’ title.

Her pathway of competing alongside boys mirrors that of Lion City Sailors forward Danelle Tan, who has been a key player for the national women’s team and recently played in the ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Cup. The current 23-player national squad for the upcoming 2027 ASEAN Women’s Championship includes six UTR scholarship recipients, underscoring the program’s role in nurturing local talent since its launch in 2021.

The UTR initiative, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, aims to strengthen Singapore’s football pipeline, building on the national men’s team’s milestone qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup. Acting Minister David Lee presented the scholarships at the ceremony, with full Minister Tan See Leng highlighting early positive outcomes from the program.

The event also recognized eight coaches selected for overseas attachments to European clubs under the 2026 Coach Overseas Attachment program. Among them is former national women’s captain Ernie Sulastri, who recently completed a stint with Austrian club SKN St Polten, working with youth and senior men’s and women’s teams. Currently head coach of the School Football Academy girls’ Under-14 squad, Ernie emphasized how the experience reinforced the importance of game-realistic training environments and coaching that encourages player decision-making and problem-solving.

The UTR scholarship and coaching programs represent continuing efforts to elevate Singapore football through international exposure and development, aiming to cultivate players and coaches capable of competing at higher levels.