Canberra United Academy have entered two teams in this year’s [KEEPUP.] Kanga Cup tournament to be held in Canberra from 2-7 July and the attention is on the U16 teams playing at Southwell Park.

They are placed in Pool B of the U16 Cup which consists of three ACT teams and three interstate teams. This CUA side is young for U16, their age range between 2007-2009 born, however they possess some amazing young talent that are ready to show opponents what they’re capable of.

The team is lucky enough to obtain 3 Junior Matildas and Womens A-League and Young Matildas star Sasha Groves’ younger sister.

This team is coached by Ahmed Ugool, who’s the Canberra United Academy Women’s National Premier League Reserve Grade coach and David Ruberto who coaches the U15 team. With coaching staff like this the team is destined to make a mark on the [KEEPUP.] Kanga Cup tournament.

[KEEPUP.] Kanga Cup were lucky enough to talk to David about what he thinks of the team and what there is to be expected of the girls before the competition gets underway.

“It feels great to have a week dedicated to playing football matches,” Ruberto said. “At the Canberra United Academy, we pride ourselves in the development of young, aspiring athletes and there’s no better learning platform than football matches.

“Having the [KEEPUP.] Kanga Cup in our backyard made it a no-brainer for us to participate and we’re really looking forward to the experience.”

The Academy U16 will commence their competition against local team Majura FC on Monday 3 July with kick-off at 10:05am.

Being an Elite Academy, a lot of quality football is expected from the girls, but the [KEEPUP.] does provide a break in the season, and they’re also looking for a fun time.

“We’re expecting a lot of enjoyment, a lot of learning on the football pitch and an opportunity for the playing group to spend a lot of time with one another in a tournament environment which is always different to the league environment we experience for the majority of the year,” Ruberto revealed.

“We’ll be focusing on a number of football aspects that have become foundational to the Academy this season.

“On top of that, and more importantly, we’ll be focusing on creating an inclusive, positive and learning orientated environment, so the players finish the tournament with a smile on their face, an overall enjoyable experience and hopefully some new ways of thinking about the technical aspects of football.”

Words: Maddison Sawkins