Alana Cerne
Alana Cerne is an Australian soccer player, who is a defender and midfielder for Western Sydney Wanderers since 2025. She previously played for Western United in the A-League Women. Internationally, she has been a member of Australia women's national under-23 soccer team.
Early years
Cerne was born in Melbourne in 2002; she grew up in the suburb of Fawkner with a sibling. She began playing soccer from the age of five or six. Her mother was unsuccessful in talking her into netball. At age seven she followed a primary school friend to training sessions. Her junior years were spent at Fawkner SC alongside boys, where she was "playing all kinds of position, including goalkeeper."Club career
Cerne joined Football Federation Victoria National Training Centre in 2017, which competed in the National Premier Leagues Victoria Women. She transferred to Calder United in 2019 Football Victoria season#2019 [NPL Victoria Women|2019] in the NPL Victoria, which won both the Premiership and Championship. The 2020 and 2021 seasons were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Cerne continued with Calder when the NPL Victoria resumed in 2022, once again the team were Premiers and Champions. She had kicked five goals during regular season and one more in the grand final. The defender was awarded the NPL Victoria Player of the Year Medal.Cerne was the first woman signed with newly established A-League Women's team, Western United on 4 August 2022 for their Western United FC (women) season|2022–23 season]. During the regular season she made 17 appearances, which helped her team to second place on the Premiership table and two finals appearances to become Championship runners-up.
During Western United's 2023–24 regular season, Cerne appeared 22 times, her team finished in third place on the league table. She scored a goal in their elimination final 2–4 loss against Newcastle Jets during April 2024. After achieving 50 A-League appearances with Western United, Cerne was unavailable due to injury for portions of the 2024–25 season resulting in 11 appearances. After A-League duties ended in the off-season she played in the NPL Victoria team, Essendon Royals. In October 2025 she signed with Western Sydney Wanderers ahead of the A-League's 2025–26 season.
International career
Australia women's national under-20 soccer team coach Leah Blayney offered Cerne a scholarship with a Future Matildas program in 2023. She received additional training sessions after Western United's season ended. Coach Melissa Andreatta named Cerne to the Australia women's national under-23 soccer team squad for the U-23 Women's National Team Four Nations Tournament, held in Växjö, Sweden during 30 May–4 June 2024. She kicked a goal on debut against Poland U23. Australia U23 had come from 2–0 behind to draw 2–2 at full-time with Cerne's goal followed by Anna Margraf's equaliser. In the resulting penalty shoot-out U23 Matildas won 5–3.At the 2025 ASEAN Women's Championship in Vietnam in August, Cerne returned to the Australia U23 squad under new coach, Joe Palatsides. They competed against senior national teams in Group B. She help defend Australia's goal for clean sheets in their victories against Philippines and Timor Leste to reach the semi-finals. Australia U23 were crowned champions after defeating Myanmar in the final.