Westfield Young Matildas squad named for AFC Champs

Westfield Young Matildas Head Coach, Alen Stajcic, has selected a 23-player squad to compete in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Women’s Championship to be held in the Chinese city of Wuhan from 1 to 12 August, 2009.

Westfield Young Matildas Head Coach, Alen Stajcic, has selected a 23-player squad to compete in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Women-s Championship to be held in the Chinese city of Wuhan from 1 to 12 August, 2009.

The Championships will also double as the qualifiers for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup to be held in Germany next year.

The squad will gather in Sydney tomorrow 20 July for two days prior to their departure to Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday 22 July.

“We had a very productive training camp on the Gold Coast last week and now we-re focused on the Championships,” stated Stajcic.

“The two warm up games against South Korea will be extremely worthwhile. We see them as important games against high quality opposition.

“The two matches will see all players get a run and give us the opportunity to see who is in form and who has adapted to the conditions the best.

“As a team we are as prepared as we can be going into China. Our physical and match preparation included our recent tour of Italy and camps in Canberra, Sydney and the Gold Coast.

“We have improved as a team this year so now it is a matter of putting it all together and performing well on the day,” concluded Stajcic.

Westfield Young Matildas qualified for the AFC U-19 Women's Championships late last year in Kuala Lumpur by finishing second in their qualification group. The AFC U-19 Women's Championships will see Australia match up against Japan, China and Chinese Taipei in Group B.

For further information on the AFC U-19 Women's Championships 2009, please visit the AFC's website www.the-afc.com.

Match schedule (friendlies)

Saturday 25 July Australia v South Korea (international friendly) KFA National Training Centre, Seoul, South Korea Kick off 6.00pm local time (7.00pm AEST)

Monday 27 July Australia v South Korea (international friendly) KFA National Training Centre, Seoul, South Korea Kick off 7.00pm local time (8.00pm AEST)

Official Match Schedule AFC U-19 Women-s Championships 2009

Saturday 1 August Australia v Japan Hankou Sports Culture Stadium, Wuhan, China Kick off 6.00pm local time (8.00pm AEST)

Monday 3 August Australia v China PR Hankou Sports Culture Stadium, Wuhan, China Kick off 8.30pm local time (10.30pm AEST)

Wednesday 5 August Australia v Chinese Taipei Hankou Xinhua Road Stadium, Wuhan, China Kick off 7.30pm (9.30pm AEST)

Sunday 9 August Semi-finals Hankou Sports Culture Stadium, Wuhan, China Kick off 6.00pm and 9.00pm (8.00pm and 11.00pm AEST)

Wednesday 12 August Playoff for 3rd/4th place and Final Hankou Sports Culture Stadium, Wuhan, China Kick off 6.00pm and 9.00pm (8.00pm and 11.00pm AEST)

Westfield Young Matildas squad AFC U-19 Women-s Championships 2009 1 - 12 August 2009