Three Sutherland Shire footballers are preparing themselves for one of the biggest weeks of their young lives after being chosen in Australia’s under-17s team for their AFC under-16s women’s championship qualifiers in Vietnam.
On the back of the Matildas’ heroics at the Olympics, Mini Matildas coach Ante Juric has named Gracie Johns, Angelique Hristodoulou and Jess Meads as part of his 23-player squad for the qualifiers, with Australia’s first match in group D against Palestine on Thursday.
The three 14-year-olds will then face Hong Kong two days later before games against Iraq, hosts Vietnam and Uzbekistan with all matches to be played at the Vietnam Youth Training Centre in Hanoi.
The AFC under-16s Championship qualifiers mark the start of the elite women’s football pathway and the first steps for young female players who aspire to play for the Matildas.
The tournament also serves as the qualifier for the AFC under-16s women’s championship, which will be played in China in September next year. The top three nations from the AFC championships will progress to the 2018 FIFA under-17s World Cup, which will be played in Uruguay.
The shire trio were chosen after playing at nationals before two trial camps at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
