Four young footballers who have progressed through the state’s QAS/NTC system have been selected to attend a Young Matildas training camp, to be held from tomorrow, 13 June to Friday, 18 June in Sydney.
Current QAS players Ellen Gett and Abby Vester will join two former QAS players in Jamilla Rankin and Holly McQueen at the week-long youth national training camp, which follows another Young Matildas camp held last month which Gett and Rankin also attended.
Women’s QAS & NTC Head Coach Garrath McPherson described the four as “dedicated, intelligent, strong and explosive” young players.
“All four of them have come through the QAS/NTC football system, so it is wonderful to see players that have come into the program back when they were 14 now coming out of that program and stepping into the next,” McPherson said.
“As part of the Young Matildas camp, they will get to learn from other players from across all the states who have been invited.
“It’s an extremely high level of competition whilst they’re in there, and they’ll get a chance to push what they can do to the absolute limits and they’ll also get to experience what a camp environment is like which helps them come tournament time.”
Rankin rose to stardom as an integral member of the QAS program, awarded the inaugural Sue Monteath Award as QAS Player of the Year in 2019 before making her W-League debut in the black and orange of Brisbane Roar last year.
McQueen also finetuned her skills as a player in the QAS program, and was recognised as QAS Player of the Year for the 2020 season following Rankin’s award the year prior. Now playing at Lions FC in the NPL Women’s competition, McQueen is no stranger to the Young Matildas setup having been selected for previous training camps.
Current QAS players Ellen Gett and Abby Vester both currently star in the NPL Women’s competition, coming up against players years their senior while performing consistently each week, and will be eager to test their skills alongside some of Australia’s leading young players.
Football Queensland State Technical Director Gabor Ganczer was thrilled to see the Queensland players recognised for their hard work.
“The Young Matildas camp will be a fantastic development and talent identification opportunity for the Queensland players, with the potential to lead to national team selection in the future,” Ganczer said.
“The selection of four current and former QAS players for this camp is testament to the strength of the QAS program and its important place in the Queensland talent pathway. I would like to also give credit to their former community or current NPL Women’s clubs for nurturing them for some part of their junior years.
“With Australia co-hosting the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup, Football Queensland is committed to supporting aspirational young players from across the state to shine on the national stage, and this selection will be a valuable first step for all players involved.
“I’d like to congratulate Ellen, Abby, Holly and Jamilla on their selection, and wish them all the best for the exciting week ahead.”
Words: Charlotte Monteath
