North West Sydney Koalas delighted with progress

Football NSW contacted North West Sydney Koalas technical director Leigh Wardell and asked her a couple of questions on this hot topic.
FNSW: What was your reaction upon hearing that three girls from the North West Sydney Koalas were selected for the Westfield Australian Under 14 girls squad?
LW: I was pleased for them. It is a great opportunity for them to gain experience, both on and off the field.

FNSW: How has the player development system taken shape at the club?
LW: In conjunction with the North West Sydney Women’s Football Association (NWSWFA) Koalas coaching, administration & management have been able to implement an identification and development philosophy which we believe provides a platform that supports the growth and improves the quality of our players. This philosophy is based on targeting and nurturing young players, predominantly from the North West Sydney area and facilitating their development on the basis of being more interested in their improvement as players and people than results in a competition. In the past 6 years we have been lucky enough to assist in the facilitation of quite a few players development who have been identified in state age group, NSWIS, W-League and National teams eg Ellyse Perry, Jess Seaman, Rachel Doyle etc

FNSW: Do you believe these three girls chosen have what it takes to go further in their careers?
LW: The 3 players who have been selected in this squad are definitely talented but more importantly they also have good character and are self disciplined. These attributes will ensure that they have every chance of ‘realising’ their potential, whether this happens or not, nobody can guarantee.

-By Mark Stavroulakis