CommBank Junior Matildas Prepare for Round 2 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers

A five-day camp awaits 30 of Australia’s most talented young footballers as the CommBank Junior Matildas prepare for the upcoming Round 2 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup Indonesia 2024™ Qualifiers.  

Held at Valentine Sports Park, Sydney the camp will run from Sunday, 27 August to Friday, 1 September and follows a successful trip to Mongolia in Round 1 of the AFC Qualifiers.  

The CommBank Junior Matildas scored 14 goals while conceding none against both Chinese Taipei (3-0) and Mongolia (11-0), as they finished atop of their group to secure a place in the second round.  

CommBank Junior Matildas’ Head Coach Rae Dower’s squad will now face Bangladesh, Vietnam and the Philippines in Round 2 being contested in Vietnam from September 16 to 24. The winners and runners-up of each group will qualify for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup Indonesia 2024™, set to be held from April 7 to 20, 2024. 

The current squad features players from seven member federations including four new faces in Layla Adams (Football QLD), Emma Dundas (Football Northern NSW), Kasey Peters (Football QLD) and Jasmin Selva (Football NSW). 

Having previously spent time together in several camps earlier this year, and a successful tour to South Korea in June with 2 x friendly matches, Dower is excited to see the group reunite and push for selection in the upcoming Qualifiers. 

"Fresh on the back of the most successful FIFA Women’s World Cup™ ever, this group of players get their next opportunity to press for selection for the upcoming AFC U-17 Asian Cup Round 2 Qualifiers,” Dower said. 

“We're continuing to add to our long list of talented players across this cohort and another four new players will be drafted into this camp. In addition, we see the inclusion of some players who've had a previous taste of camp life, have gone away and worked really hard at aspects of their game and we're really excited to see them come back in and push for final selection.” 

With a squad featuring some immensely talented players who have already represented the CommBank Junior Matildas, as well as some fresh faces eager to put their best foot forward, Dower and her staff face a difficult task in selecting the final squad. 

“We truly have such great depth across the country and continue to work in partnership with the Member Federation Programs to unearth our next generation of talented players,” Dower continued. 

“The door is always open for talented players across the country to come into the extended squad and get their opportunity to showcase their abilities.” 

“The staff and I have a really difficult task in finalising our Round 2 Team with so many outstanding players in contention. It is a great testament to the work being done all over the country to help continue to develop our best young footballers.” 

Following the historic FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ and the success of the CommBank Matildas, the dream of one day representing Australia’s senior women’s national team is more prevalent than ever for the CommBank Junior Matildas.  

“The recent success of the Matildas at the FIFA WWC has no doubt ignited the passion and determination of countless players to one day get their own opportunity to live out their footballing dreams,” Dower said.  

“I'm sure the players and staff will still be riding the wave of emotion that engulfed the whole of Australia and we can't wait to continue with our own preparations.”  

COMMBANK JUNIOR MATILDAS SQUAD | SYDNEY TRAINING CAMP 
AUGUST 27 - FRIDAY 1 SEPTEMBER

COMMBANK JUNIOR MATILDAS | AFC U-17 WOMEN’S ASIAN CUP INDONESIA 2024™ QUALIFYING ROUND 2 DRAW | SEPTEMBER 16-24 

CommBank Junior Matildas v Philippines 
Date: 20 September 2023 
Venue: Yanmar Field, Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, Hanoi 
Kick Off: 4:00pm (Local time), 7:00pm AEST 

Vietnam v CommBank Junior Matildas   
Date: 22 September 2023 
Venue: Yanmar Field, Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, Hanoi 
Kick Off: 7:00pm (Local time), 10:00pm AEST 

CommBank Junior Matildas v Bangladesh 
Date: 24 September 2023 
Venue: Yanmar Field, Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, Hanoi 
Kick Off: 4:00pm (Local time), 7:00pm AEST