Wests Sports Council’s Elite Sportsperson 2019 makes Junior Matilda’s
Local soccer star Darcey Malone has been selected in the Junior Matildas Squad for the 2019 AFC U-16 Women’s Championship which will be held in Chonburi, Thailand.
The squad will compete in Group A of the competition alongside hosts Thailand, Japan, and Bangladesh, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Should Australia advance to the Final of the 2019 AFC U-16 Women’s Championship, they will qualify as one of Asia’s representatives for next year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted by India.
Head Coach Rae Dower, stated, “I’m thrilled to announce the Westfield Junior Matildas’ squad to contest the upcoming AFC U-16 Women’s Championship in Thailand.”
“We’ve got a really well-balanced team on and off the field and the chemistry developed over the last 12 months together will serve us well in really trying conditions in Thailand”
Darcey Malone, aged 15, has had a big year, having been named in the Junior Matilda’s earlier this year for their qualifying squad and has been working on securing her place in the championship team.
“This is an incredible honour,” stated Ms Malone, who also won the Wests Group Macarthur’s Sports Council Elite Sports Person of the Year Award for 2019.
“It’s wonderful to see a young local from the Macarthur Region have the opportunity to represent our Country,” stated Tony Mathew, CEO of Wests Group Macarthur.
Ms Malone started her soccer career at Mount Annan, before moving to the region’s representative team, the Macarthur Rams. Last year, she represented NSW as the youngest soccer player in the under-17s and is now a member of the Football NSW Institute.
“Providing grassroots level support to clubs that help encourage the passions of young sports people like Darcey is something that we are really proud to be a part of,” states Mr Mathew.
“We congratulate Darcey on her tremendous achievement and wish her all the best in her upcoming matches.”
The Westfield Junior Matildas will travel to Thailand on Tuesday, 10 September 2019 before playing their group games on September 15, 18, and 21 against Japan, Thailand, and Bangladesh respectively.
The semi-finals of the 2019 AFC U-16 Women’s Championship will be held on Wednesday, 25 September 2019, with the Final to be contested on Saturday, 28 September 2019.
