The Matildas' 2017 Tournament of Nations squad was announced on Monday with teenagers Princess Ibini-Isei, Ellie Carpenter and Alex Chidiac among the inexperienced players included.

Prior to the announcement, coach Alen Stajcic had seven uncapped youngsters in the AIS camp in Canberra from July 11-14.

In particular, 15-year-old Kyra Cooney-Cross, who didn’t make the final Matildas cut, has excelled in NPLW VIC for NTC (National Training Centre) scoring 14 goals in 20 games and was mentored by Australian co-captain Lisa De Vanna.

Former successful W-League coach Joe Montemurro questions whether NPL clubs suffice the development of young female footballers but believes NTC programs are fundamentally important for teenagers as it relieves pressure to win games.

De Vanna believes NTC programs need to regularly have young females play against males because it “builds character and competitiveness”.

“Someone like Kyra who runs past every girl in the competition is great and then we played a game (in Matildas camp) and it’s a bit different because now she’s getting pressed,” De Vanna told FourFourTwo.

“Players like Kyra, they can go and play good football against weak opponents, score a hat-trick and that’s quite easy.

“But to do it against boys, you know there’s something more gifted than that, if that makes sense because they're quicker, they're stronger, they're smarter and it’s a bit more competitive.

De Vanna in action for South Melbourne. By Milan Krmpotic

“She has to change her game a little bit and I think the NTC system needs to be changed personally, whether we have one or not I don’t know, but I think there should be a NTC program whether it’s full-time.

“Hopefully that’s something I can be involved with at FFV, make a structure where we can either make the NPL stronger and have a comp where the best of the best play against boys every second week and get together every week.”

Former Matildas captain and goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri is currently coaching NPLW VIC side Heidelberg United and agrees that NTC programs should accommodate more sessions where females play against the males.

However she felt testosterone was the only difference between the genders and felt men’s speed made players react quicker.

“They (men) are behind in terms of tactical and technical… in terms of knowing the game and all those things,” Barbieri told FourFourTwo.

“When I played through in a men’s league, I was the only female in a men’s team, I was pretty much trying to teach them how to play real football. Fine tuning them, they’re quicker, but they don’t necessarily have more knowledge than us.

Barbieri coaching Heidelberg. By Rachel Bach, ByTheWhiteLine

“When you play against the boys' team, you can knock the ball around quite decently and still score a goal whereas they still bomb it long and just beat you for pace out the back.”

In May, 2016 it was reported the Matildas lost 7-0 to Newcastle Jets’ U-15s male side which prompted backlash and tongue-in-cheek comments on social media.

Barbieri along with former Matilda Sarah Walsh questioned Socceroo Mark Bosnich’s comments in the media about salary controversy.

The 37-year-old also said men and women’s games are practiced regularly but added with a tongue-in-cheek comment that it wasn’t advertised because of the predicted backlash.

She said there would always be a difference in speed naturally which didn’t equate to their football capabilities.

“They look at the score line but they haven’t even spoken to the players that they’ve played,” she said of the 7-0 Matildas loss last year.

“The miscommunication about the age of these players was what hurt it the most, because I think the communicated age was U-15s, but if you actually spoke to the coaches they said ‘nah, we had some 17 and 18s in there’ and that just blows the testosterone differences out the water.

“Some of those of lads at 16… phwoah… and it really hurt the fact, the high fliers that have a word about it and bring us down, have never actually watched those games. They would’ve been quietly impressed as many people are when we come off the pitch against them.”

 


Former Matilda Joey Peters said it was a great development tool and was all for it.

She added: “Some girls would find it daunting to rock up and be the only girl against the guys but some people get the opportunity, so why not? It’s fine.”