Dylan Holmes leaves Adelaide United for the FIFA Master postgraduate course

Dylan Holmes has left Adelaide United after nine seasons with the women’s team. The midfielder will move to Europe for the FIFA Master postgraduate course. The programme covers management, law and the humanities of sport.

Holmes departs with 115 appearances and nine goals for Adelaide. She will now study sport management, law and humanities. The international course requires her to relocate to Europe.

Holmes played nine seasons for Adelaide United

Holmes built her senior career in Adelaide’s red shirt. She reached 115 appearances across nine seasons. That total places her among the club’s most experienced women’s players.

The midfielder scored nine goals during that period. Her role often included work deeper on the field. Appearances and leadership therefore describe her contribution better than goals alone.

She also served as captain. Teammates and staff relied on her through changing squads and coaching teams. The club highlighted professionalism and care when confirming her departure.

Holmes will continue supporting Adelaide as a fan. She thanked players, coaches and supporters. She said the educational opportunity determined the timing.

Individual awards marked her strongest seasons

Holmes won the Dianne Alagich Medal in 2023. The award recognised her as Adelaide’s leading women’s player. It followed performance across a full campaign.

She shared the club’s Golden Boot in 2023/24. That result showed a stronger scoring contribution from midfield. It also added another honour to an already long Adelaide career.

Her influence extended beyond match days. Holmes joined the players’ association executive in October 2024 after serving as a player delegate. That work gave her experience with wider professional issues.

Adelaide later named her the 2025/26 club person of the year. The award recognised community work and her role in the United in Schools programme. It reflected service beyond the senior team.

Holmes ends her playing career to begin postgraduate study

The FIFA Master is an international postgraduate course. Its full title covers management, law and humanities of sport. Students complete parts of the course in Europe.

Holmes described the place as an important opportunity. Accepting it requires time and relocation. That made a normal return to Adelaide for the new season unrealistic.

The choice follows work she completed beside football. Her union role and school programme already involved organisation, representation and community work.

Adelaide supported the decision. Club leaders described the opportunity as deserved. They did not present the departure as a dispute or failed contract negotiation.

Adelaide confirmed a respected captain’s departure

Chief executive Nathan Kosmina praised Holmes’s professionalism, care and pride. He described the postgraduate place as a deserved opportunity.

Football director Mitch van Gellekom also highlighted her captaincy and performances. He said Holmes would remain part of the Adelaide United family.

Holmes thanked former coaches, teammates and the club’s supporters. She recalled matches at Marden, ServiceFM Stadium and Coopers Stadium.

Her decision arrived before the new campaign began. Adelaide confirmed that postgraduate study, not another transfer, caused the departure.

Her next step is postgraduate study in Europe

Holmes leaves with 115 appearances, nine goals, captaincy and individual awards. Her record also includes community work and player representation.

The course offers several directions inside sport. Graduates work in administration, clubs, federations and legal departments. Holmes brings a professional player’s perspective into those subjects.

Holmes leaves Adelaide to begin the FIFA Master postgraduate course. Her farewell closes nine seasons in the A-League Women and begins an international study programme.

Adelaide thanked Holmes for nine seasons of service. Holmes thanked teammates, coaches and supporters in return. She now begins postgraduate study at three European universities.

The FIFA Master postgraduate course is taught across three European universities. Its modules cover sport management, legal work and the social history of sport. Holmes enters with direct experience from professional football.

Her playing record includes captaincy, finals and years inside Adelaide’s senior programme. Those experiences now sit beside formal study. The course begins her next role inside sport.

Holmes also received Adelaide’s club person award at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.