At the age of 13, Daniella Batten has already made a name for herself as a rising star in the Australian women’s football and futsal scene.

Working her way up from junior years at the North Sutherland Rockets, progressing through the ranks of the Sutherland Shire Football Association, and also a member of the 2017 National Championships NSW South team and the Australian Under-14’s national futsal side, it’s fair to say that Batten is on the path to success.

“Boys made me the player I am today”

For nine years of her short life, Batten has been playing football. She began kicking a ball around at the young age of five.

“This is when I was taught everything”, she said.

The fact that she was playing in a mixed team with boys is what has helped characterise her as a player.

“They underestimated me," Batten said. "Playing with boys really rubs off on you. You learn from their skill and toughness.”

With these qualities, she made the jump from local club football to representative football, joining the Sutherland Shire Football Association Academy in 2014, where she then transitioned to their representative team in 2016, joining the WPL13’s team, and later the WPL15’s.

Source: Marc Roberts - Wrexham Futsal Club

Batten loves the challenge of playing against girls of the same quality as herself, but there are elements she finds tough, including the tense competitive aspect, the coaches and the time spent training and playing.

Nevertheless, she knows that these are just part of the representative game.

“If you enjoy what you do, it’s okay," she said. "The more time you spend practicing and playing, the better you’ll get.”

For the teenager, the best part about playing as a representative player is the simple fact that she can actually be a representative player.

“Until I was offered a spot in the team, I didn’t even know that girls could be chosen for a program like that! I thought it was only for boys,” she said.

She’s incredibly thankful for all the opportunities that she has been given, which she says has led up to a trip to the UK with the Australian Under-14’s national futsal side.

Currently she is on a 19-night long tour to the birthplace of club football, and couldn’t express her excitement enough during this interview.

She was most keen to learn about tactics, routine and teamwork from tours and matches at Premier League stadiums, and then putting that into practice with her newly formed team, under the guidance of a new coach. 

Planning for the future…

Batten has one clear goal for her future – to play for the Matildas.

She couldn’t have said this with more conviction during her interview. Her ultimate goal is to play left wing, but she knows that it doesn’t always work like that.

“Having the ability to adapt is key,” she said. “I can’t choose my position, so I have to work around that, and be as good as I can in as many spots on the field as possible."

At the age of 13, a spot in the Matildas first team squad will be in reach shortly (as we’ve seen possible with players including Ellie Carpenter, who Batten admires). However, Batten knows that she needs to improve. 

“I definitely need to work on speed and strength”, she said.

“Although I am really quick and strong, the girls I play with are quicker and stronger. It’s tough competition.”

For now, she wants to stay in Australia and work her way up the Sutherland Shire Football Association ranks. Then she’d like to play for a team like Sydney University, or a W-League side.

The idea of playing overseas fascinates her and she believes that it would definitely help her grow as a player, but for the foreseeable future, Batten wants Australia to be her home.

As much as she wants football to be her career, she also understands the harsh reality of the lack of pay involved.

“It’s really disappointing that female players get paid less for doing the same thing," she said.

However, she has plans for this.  “I’d love to be a coach, or a teacher," she said. "That way, I’m still involved in the game.”

Source: Nicole Rader

Thoughts on Australian women’s football

A member of the Australian football landscape herself, Batten has a unique insight into the women’s game down under, particularly when it comes to youth development. She is a supporter of women’s football in Australia, and believes that it is under-appreciated due to a lack of coverage.

“The Matildas aren't rarely broadcasted and talked about in the media and the W-League is just the same,” she said.

“You’ll see a standard news piece about the NRL up first in the sports bulletin, and then maybe a little snippet of a major Matildas achievement at the end.

"They deserve to play at bigger stadiums, with more fans and more coverage. They deserve more for the hard work that they put in.”

Batten just wants to see more football. She wants Australia to see more football. And maybe, in a few more years, we’ll be seeing her run onto the field as a Matilda, with the match broadcasted on primetime TV.