Newcomers to the Kanga Cup Albury-Wodonga will be represented by their highly-achieving Under-12 female side in 2024, with the debutants primed for the test that awaits them up against the nation’s best players.
The region represented at the cup is the combination of two towns, Albury and Wodonga, which sit on opposing sides of the New South Wales-Victoria border, a four-hour drive from the nation’s capital.
While the size of the area is not particularly large, Coach Paige Hunt says that football remains a popular pastime amongst the population.
“We’ve got a lot of the clubs, there’s maybe four in [the] Wodonga Victoria area and about seven, eight, in New South Wales,” she explained. “We’ve got teams traveling from Wangaratta, about 40 minutes, Cobram, an hour and a half, Myrtleford, so some of the smaller towns surrounding it as well.
“We’ve got around 11, 12 teams in our senior women’s, and fielding from our juniors upwards for the whole club area so it’s growing, and with the Women’s World Cup we’re progressing with the females which is really good.”
Having never fielded a representative in the competition, Hunt’s side is making history ahead of their matches in Pool A of the Under-12 Female Cup.
“This is our first time at the Kanga Cup and I believe the first for the actual association, we’ve had another team Murray United, their SAP [Skills Acquisition Program] program years and years ago when they were there, but this is the first from Albury-Wodonga Football Association.”
Funded by a grant from the local government, the Albury-Wodonga squad that made the long journey to Canberra reflects the region’s top talents, and a group of girls who have achieved success in the build-up to their cup matches.
“It’s an association of the Albury-Wodonga region,” Hunt said, describing the make-up of the squad. “It’s a trial-based team I suppose, so it’s the best girls from around the area.
“We train one night a week, which complements their club training, and then we go away and we play at tournaments.
“We’ve played in Bathurst, Bendigo, Mildura, we just won the Vic Country Champs there, so it’s a bit of a challenge here playing against some NPL-level [National Premier League] teams.”
Due to this success, Hunt’s side has entered the tournament in the Cup category, ensuring that they will face the top academies, as well as division one and representative teams from Australia and beyond, throughout the Kanga Cup.
“Throughout the year these girls have shown a lot of tenacity and resilience,” the coach said. “Coming here with clubs who have academies, and they’ve got resources going into it… I think this is just an extra challenge for them.
“This is just the start for these girls in the under-12 age group, so it’s just another challenge and they’re keen.”
Afforded the opportunity to work with the squad weekly, Hunt has been able to establish an environment built on a clear-cut style of play, and a desire to get the best out of the players.
“We like to play very possession-based football, but we also focus on our individual strengths and weaknesses,” she said. “From their start, to where they’ve ended, it’s incredible, they’re just an incredible bunch of girls.”
Overall, it’s an experience that this Albury-Wodonga side and their coach are relishing.
“They’re so excited, it’s more than just football, it’s school holidays and these are memories that will last them forever,” Hunt said.
Words: Sam Watson
