By Grant Hitzman
The newly formed Queensland Youth Girls Academy trained as a collective unit for the first time last month, marking a new era of growth in female football.
For the first time in the academy’s seven-year history, two squads were named to cater for the differing goals of girls aged 14-18. Level 1 features an 18-girl squad for players aged 14-16 in 2015, while Level 2 comprises 43 girls turning 17 and 18 in 2015.
The unprecedented 61-girl academy is a huge step for female football in the state, according to the Academy’s High Performance Coach, Craig Starcevich.
“In the past the academy has just been a select group of 20 to 30 kids in preparation for the Under 18 Nationals the following year,” Starcevich said.
“But we recognised the need to expand and pay attention to those girls who are looking towards playing in the Under 16 Championships.
“So while the goals of the two squads will be fundamentally different, they will train together, which is a great opportunity for inclusion and growth in the game.”
The Academy features talent from all pockets in Queensland, with girls coming from Mackay, North Queensland, Darling Downs and Capricornia to join the squad.
With one training session left before Christmas, Starcevich said he was rapt with how the first session unfolded and the travel efforts from one particular player.
“I was very pleased with how everything ran and the most promising component was the turn out from the girls,” he said.
“Of the 61-girls in both levels, we had 39 make their way to the first training session, which is a fantastic effort considering we have 17 girls from the wide bay region and beyond – who we don’t expect to attend.
“All the coaches were really impressed with the commitment of all the girls, especially Tavia Dunne, who drove with her mother all the way from Rocky to make the session – that is something special.”
Starcevich also expressed excitement about crossover athletes like Jessica Hughes joining the academy for 2015.
“To have someone like Jess on board is fantastic, she won bronze in Javelin at Nationals and box jumps 95cm’s, so safe to say she is a serious athlete,” Starcevich said.
The Youth Girls Academy will train again tonight before taking a well-deserved break over the Christmas period. The girls will train twice in both January and February, before training once a week in March and twice a week in April.
Keep an eye out for the girls when they compete at the National Youth Girls Championships in May and the School Sport Australia Under 16s Championships in July.
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Qld Youth Girls Academy Squad: Level 1 |
Club |
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|
Name |
Date Of Birth |
Region |
|
|
|
Samantha |
Klose |
5/9/98 |
Bris North |
Zillmere |
|
Charlotte |
Johnstone |
31/10/97 |
Bris North |
Wilston Grange |
|
Danielle |
Brown |
27/6/97 |
Bris North |
Zillmere |
|
Tayla |
Harris |
16/4/97 |
Bris North |
Zillmere |
|
Nicola |
Clark |
4/7/98 |
Bris North |
Cabollture (now been signed to Zillmere) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Regan |
Winterbottom |
18/12/97 |
Bris South |
Park Ridge |
|
Indiah |
Collings |
21/10/98 |
Bris South |
Brisbane Christian College |
|
Jade |
Ransfield |
30/8/97 |
Bris South |
Yeronga QWAFL |
|
Rachael |
Milns |
30/1/97 |
Bris South |
Western Magpies |
|
Klarindah |
Hudson |
27/5/97 |
Bris South |
Kickstart |
|
Cambridge |
McCormick |
29/11/98 |
Bris South |
NA |
|
Hannah |
Davidson |
22/6/97 |
Capricornia |
Panthers AFC |
|
Taivia |
Dunne |
30/10/99 |
Capricornia |
Brothers |
|
Taneil |
Bruton |
7/3/97 |
Capricornia |
Gladstone AFC |
|
Tashina |
Ketchup |
21/10/98 |
Capricornia |
Glenmore Bulls AFC |
|
Shaleise |
Law |
24/7/98 |
Darling Downs |
Toowoomba East Stingers |
|
Grace |
Krautz |
2/4/97 |
Darling Downs |
NA |
|
Danielle |
Wall |
19/2/97 |
Darling Downs |
Dalby Swans |
|
Alice |
Mason |
7/4/98 |
Darling Downs |
Rangeville State School |
|
Jemma |
Whitney |
6/1/97 |
Darling Downs |
St Saviors College |
|
Jess |
Watts |
20/2/98 |
Gold Coast |
Broadbeach Cats |
|
Alicia |
Murray |
20/2/98 |
Gold Coast |
Broadbeach Cats |
|
Alicia |
Green |
18/5/98 |
Gold Coast |
Burleigh Bombers |
|
Darcey |
Campbell |
16/5/97 |
Gold Coast |
Southport |
|
Jessica |
Hughs |
22/6/97 |
Gold Coast |
NA |
|
Jordan |
Smyth |
22/5/97 |
Mackay |
Pioneer State High School |
|
Moesha |
Morris |
24/6/98 |
North Qld |
Innisfail SHS |
|
Teanna |
Fujji |
21/4/98 |
North Qld |
Brisbane Christian College |
|
Luana |
Healy |
9/5/97 |
North Qld |
North Cairns Tigers |
|
Lahtiffa |
Benjamin |
5/3/98 |
North Qld |
Trinity Bay College |
|
Gerti |
Kris |
22/9/98 |
North Qld |
South Cairns Cutters |
|
|
||||
|
Jessee |
Sills |
25/1/97 |
Sunshine Coast |
Maroochydore JAFC |
|
Kelsee |
Sills |
25/1/97 |
Sunshine Coast |
Maroochydore JAFC |
|
Brooke |
Matheson |
12/1/97 |
Sunshine Coast |
Mountain Creek JAFC |
|
Tahlia |
Randall |
29/5/98 |
Sunshine Coast |
Kawana Park JAFC |
|
Kate |
Kershaw |
25/10/98 |
Sunshine Coast |
Mountain Creek JAFC |
|
Bella |
Freeman |
25/6/98 |
Sunshine Coast |
Coolum Beach JAFC |
|
|
||||
|
Delma |
Gisu |
2/7/96 |
Townsville |
Shalom College |
|
Pamai |
Dau |
5/5/97 |
Townsville |
Shalom College |
|
Aggie |
Harry |
5/5/97 |
Townsville |
Bulldogs AFC |
|
|
||||
|
Claudia |
Wharton |
5/5/97 |
Wide Bay |
St Mary’s College |
|
Lucy |
Thompson |
7/6/97 |
Wide Bay |
Burnett State College |
|
Brittany |
Ballin |
13/12/98 |
Wide Bay |
|
|
|
||||
|
Qld Youth Girls Academy Squad: Level 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Date Of Birth |
|||
|
Anneliese |
Piczak |
10/2/99 |
Bris North |
|
|
Anna |
Van de Wiel |
26/2/00 |
Bris North |
Zillmere JAFC |
|
|
||||
|
Gabby |
Collingwood |
15/1/99 |
Bris South |
Jindalee JAFC |
|
Alanna |
Perry |
19/12/99 |
Bris South |
Ipswich JAFC |
|
Tarni |
White |
31/1/01 |
Bris South |
Coorparoo JAFC |
|
|
||||
|
Tavia |
Dunne |
30/10/99 |
Capricornia |
Brothers AFC |
|
|
||||
|
Chloe |
MacDonald |
23/6/99 |
Darling Downs |
|
|
Jessi |
Henning |
15/8/99 |
Darling Downs |
Dalby SHS |
|
|
||||
|
Tori |
Groves-Little |
13/10/00 |
Gold Coast |
Beenleigh SHS |
|
Kalinda |
Howarth |
2/8/99 |
Gold Coast |
Southport |
|
Ruby |
Blair |
1/8/99 |
Gold Coast |
Burleigh JAFC |
|
Arianna |
Clarke |
16/8/99 |
Gold Coast |
Broadbeach JAFC |
|
Maddy |
Coe |
28/11/99 |
Gold Coast |
Broadbeach JAFC |
|
|
||||
|
Lauren |
Bella |
12/9/00 |
Mackay |
Mercy College |
|
|
||||
|
Elisha |
King |
15/6/99 |
North Qld |
Trinity bay College |
|
|
||||
|
Jemma |
Abbott |
27/4/99 |
Sunshine Coast |
Mountain Creek JAFC |
|
Tiffany |
Dale |
2/7/00 |
Sunshine Coast |
Caloundra AFC |
|
|
||||
|
Sarah |
Marscke |
17/5/99 |
Wide Bay |
St Luke’s Anglican School |
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