They have already conquered the state and now a group of rising stars from Keilor Downs College are ready to show the rest of Australia what they can do.
The school’s under-16 girls futsal team will fly out to Brisbane this week for the Australasian championships.
It’s the first time Keilor Downs has had a futsal – five-a-side soccer – team reach national level.
Making their exploits even more impressive, the Keilor Downs squad is made up of girls who are playing out of age.
Seven members of the squad are 15 and can play in the same age group next year, while two others are only in years seven and eight.
Soccer co-ordinator Josip Loncaric said excitement around the school was building at the prospect of being able to take on some of the best teams in the country.
“They’ve competed in some local competitions for the past few years but this was their first crack at the state championships,” he said. “They knocked off a lot of private schools and beat Balwyn in the final to qualify for the nationals.
“They’re the first team to reach the national championships in the school’s 30-year history.”
Keilor Downs will be one of eight schools to compete at the week-long Australasian championships. Each school plays each other once and the top four progress to the finals.
Having never reached this level before, Loncaric isn’t exactly sure what to expect from opposition sides but is confident his players have left nothing to chance in their preparation.
“Their main strength is that they know each other’s games so well,” Loncaric said. “They just look at each other and know exactly where to run. They have a real element of surprise.”
