Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sydney: Australia will be represented mainly by U-20 women's national team players at the forthcoming AFF Women's Championship in Indonesia, with a 23-strong squad announced on Wednesday.
As in the previous three editions of the tournament, Australia will use the regional championship as an opportunity to develop generation next, and have selected many of the players who also appeared in last year's AFC U-19 Women's Championship in China.
Australia's squad boasts a number of players with senior international caps including 22-year-old Larissa Crummer and 19-year-old Alex Chidiac, who were both part of the Matildas' AFC Women's Asian Cup squad in April.
Princess Ibini and Emily Condon, both standouts at the U-19 level in Nanjing last October, are also present, but Ellie Carpenter will be absent as she continues her maiden club season in the US, where she became the NWSL's youngest ever goal-scorer last month.
The team will be coached by 31-year-old former Matilda Leah Blayney, who spoke of the importance of the tournament, which begins on June 30, as a learning experience for her young charges.