AIS to host CommBank Junior Matildas for March training camp

The Australian Institute of Sport will again play host to the CommBank Junior Matildas for their third AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup Indonesia 2024™ preparation camp.

Another set of 30 players have earned the call-up from Head Coach Rae Dower, with a mix of familiar camp attendees, A-League Women’s regulars and freshly scouted faces following the recent launch of the Football Australia / FIFA Talent Development Scheme.   

Dower said: “We're excited to get straight back into camp as we look to narrow down our final squad for the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup. With so much depth across the country, it's going to be a really difficult decision for the staff and I to make which is a really good problem to have.”

“With the launch of the Football Australia / FIFA Talent Development Scheme at the Home of the Matildas in Victoria last week, we've seen first-hand how the opportunity for players to play in a 'best v best' environment can help them to be identified for higher honours. In that match, Kaya Jugovic was the best player on the park and her consistent performance has seen her rewarded with her first national team call-up.

“We're again bringing some players into this camp who we haven't seen for a while and we're giving them every chance to push for selection. With the NPLW competitions resuming across the country and the A-League Women’s on the march to the finals, it's encouraging to see the players getting some match minutes under their belt.

“It's been pretty lean in terms of playing any games for the last 5 months for a lot of the group, so we're looking forward to working with them individually and collectively to gauge where they're at,” Dower concluded.

Later this month, Australia will find out their group opponents following confirmation that the Official Draw will take place on 7 March 2024. The CommBank Junior Matildas have been seeded fifth ahead of the tournament draw.

Hosted in Bali, Indonesia, the eight-team competition will see two groups of four nations play in a round-robin group phase, with the top two nations in Group A and Group B progressing to the knockout phase.

The top three nations from the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup will represent Asia at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™ running from 16 October to 3 November 2024.

The CommBank Junior Matildas will assemble at the AIS from Monday, 4 March to Friday, 8 March 2024.

COMMBANK JUNIOR MATILDAS | TRAINING CAMP SQUAD | MARCH 2024