MIA GRABS A BIG CHANCE
BRUSH WITH MATILDAS:
A YOUNG Cairns goalkeeper is one step closer to achieving her sporting dreams after being selected to attend a Junior Matildas training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra. Fourteen-year-old Mia Bailey will spend the next seven days alongside the country’s best young female footballers after being invited to the first of three training camps by Junior Matildas coach Rae Dower. Dower will use the camps to select a Junior Matildas squad for the AFC Under-16 World Championships Qualifiers tournament, to be held in Kyrgyz Republic next month. “My mum got a phone call from my National Training Centre coach in Brisbane, and then an email from Rae Dower inviting me to the camp,” Bailey said. “I couldn’t really believe it at first. When I realised it was true, I was so happy, but a bit nervous, too.” The Cairns FC academy player, who plays locally with JCU Strikers in both the Under-15/16s Girls and Premier Women’s divisions, was one of six Queensland players selected to join the camp. The invitation comes hot on the heels of a second consecutive Goalkeeper of the Tournament showing at last month’s Under-14 National Youth Championships at Coffs Harbour. While the star teenage goalkeeper is more used to stopping goals than scoring them, she’s attending the AIS training camp with a clear goal in mind. “I want to become a better player by training with the best players and coaches,” Bailey said. “I want to earn a place in the squad to travel to Kyrgyz Republic to play for Australia.” If successful at the initial camp, Bailey will be invited back to attend a second camp later this month and a third and final camp in early September, before the team departs for Kyrgyz Republic on September 10. Mother Simone said this week’s camp will be a “test of independence” for her daughter. “The Junior Matildas camp is totally professional and parents have been informed that they are not required to accompany their daughters,” she said. “Last year, Mia was invited to a goalkeeping camp at the AIS by national goalkeeping development coach Dean May and Socceroos goalkeeper coach Tony Franken. “She was only 13 then, so I flew down with her. At least she has had some experience of training in the AIS environment and at that level, so this hopefully won’t be overwhelming for her.” The experience will also help prepare Bailey for next year, when she will move to Brisbane to take up a full-time position with the Brisbane Roar and Queensland Academy of Sport’s National Training Centre program. She will attend Cavendish Road State High School and participate in their Football Academy under the watchful eye of Brisbane Roar WLeague head coach Mel Andreatta.