Melbourne Victory Women youngsters enter camp

Melbourne Victory Women duo Stephanie Catley and Caitlin Friend are part of the Westfield Women’s Under-16 squad that entered camp for the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Melbourne Victory Women duo Stephanie Catley and Caitlin Friend are part of the Westfield Women’s Under-16 squad that entered camp for the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 23-player squad, many of whom only recently returned from a successful campaign at the AFF U16 Championships in Yangon, Myanmar, will commence preparation today at Valentine Sports Park, Sydney.

Head Coach Robbie Hooker will again run the rule over the squad.

“The Championships in Myanmar was a great preparation for this squad,” Hooker said.
“We now move into a crucial phase for this group of players as we prepare for the AFC Championships in Thailand which is the qualifying tournament for the Under-17 Women-s World Cup next year in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Of course we are going there to win the AFC Asian Cup but our focus must be on qualifying for the World Cup in September.”

The Westfield Women’s Under-16 squad’s first game at the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship is against China on November 5, with games against Chinese Taipei and Japan on November 7 and 9 respectively to follow.

The pair will miss Melbourne Victory Women’s match against Newcastle Jets Women, which has has been moved from Bob Jane Stadium to Bulleen’s Veneto Club and will now kick off at 2pm this Saturday.