3/4/24
Above: Matildas U23 head coach Mel Andreatta – her side will be returning to action Photo: Football Australia.
Australia’s U23 Women’s National Team will return to international action during the May/June international window when they take part in the Four Nations Tournament held in Växjö, Sweden.
The friendlies – hosted at Visma Arena and Värendsvallen – will see the U-23 Women’s National Team compete against U-23 sides from Sweden, Germany, and Poland from 29th May until 4th June, 2024.
Australia will open the tournament against hosts Sweden (29th May) before taking on Germany (1st June) and completing their schedule with Poland (4th June).
U23 Women’s National Team Head Coach, Mel Andreatta, highlighted the importance of the tournament in continuing the development of U23 players to prepare them for the senior national team.
“We are excited to receive this invitation to participate in the prestigious Four Nations Tournament next month in Sweden,” she said.
“An opportunity like this, to compete against three high-quality U23 national teams, is invaluable at this age group as a next step so that they are ready to represent their country at the senior level if and when the opportunity arises for them.”
“This series of fixtures will be beneficial because of the tournament-like conditions it will expose the players to. Everything from the international travel to the close scheduling of matches and high-intensity football will provide key learnings on what is required to be able to perform at the highest level.”
Established in 2022 following the Performance Gap Report, the Australia U23 Women’s National Team has since seen three players (Sarah Hunter, Charlie Rule, and Kaitlyn Torpey) make their senior national team debuts following strong performances at the age group.
Meanwhile, Amy Sayer and goalkeeper Jada Whyman have received regular call-ups to the Matildas. In the case of Sayer, the 22-year-old has also recorded regular international match minutes and notched up the career milestone of scoring her first international goal in February’s Round Three Asian Qualifier against Uzbekistan at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne.
“It is pleasing from a technical team viewpoint to see that the program is staying true to its task and supplying the platform for these players to demonstrate their quality and what they can bring to the senior team,” Andreatta explained.
“What this program gives the players is different to the club environment and we want to ensure it continues to meet both the needs of the players and our programs as a whole. Our hope is as a federation and a technical team is to see more players taking this opportunity and embrace it,” she concluded.
The Australia U23 Women’s National Team squad will be announced in the fortnight prior to the commencement of their camp in Sweden which starts on 23 May 2024.
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