The 2024 AFL National Academy Girls squad will feature in a high-performance camp in Victoria this weekend.
The 26-player squad will train on Friday, January 19 at IKON Park in Carlton North before participating in a range of activities in Geelong across the weekend, including a training session at GMHBA Stadium on the morning of Sunday, January 21.
The AFL National Academy is an accelerated football and personal development program that provides the next generation of stars with experiences, learnings and further opportunities to best prepare them for the next steps in their football journey.
The 2024 AFL National Academy Girls squad comprises the nation’s most promising footballers born in 2006 who will be eligible to be selected in the 2024 AFLW Draft.
Eight representatives from the 2023 AFL National Championships U18 Girls All Australian team feature in the 2024 AFL National Academy Girls squad.
They include Ashley Centra, Zipporah Fish, Havana Harris, Sara Howley, Emma McDonald, Molly O’Hehir, India Rasheed and Poppy Scholz.
India Rasheed is the daughter of Roger Rasheed, while Poppy Scholz is the younger sister of Port Adelaide ruck Matilda Scholz.
The squad also features Sophie McKay (daughter of Carlton premiership player Andrew and sister of Blues midfielder Abbie) and Australian representative baseball pitcher Ashley Patton.
This weekend’s induction camp is the first of three high-performance camps the squad will feature in as part of the National Academy program.
Players will engage in a range of football, education, wellbeing and team-bonding sessions during each camp and will represent their country as part of the Australia U18 team later in the year.
NSW/ACT players
Emma Juneja, East Sydney, Sydney Swans Academy
Ashley Patton, Tuggeranong, GIANTS Academy
Photo: Emma Juneja (left), Ash Patton