The finest young football talent in the region is about to embark on a journey of elite personal development after being selected in the Melbourne Football Club Academy U14/15 Program for 2018-19.
Boys and girls have been selected in three different squads, with individual programs for Mornington Peninsula and South East in the Boys, while the Girls’ program will consist of a combination of players from both regions.
Participants will be exposed to an elite football environment through top-level coaching, first-class facilities and expertise across health, fitness and personal development.
The program will involve multiple sessions across each of these key areas and will be conducted through school holidays and/or out of hour’s programs.
The program will consist of three blocks – September-October, November-December and February-April, and will incorporate equal parts skill acquisition and personal development.
The South East and Girls’ Programs will be run at Casey Fields, while the Mornington Peninsula squad will train at the Mt Eliza Football Club.
Pines’ senior coach Paddy Swayn will head the Mornington Peninsula program, with Casey Demons assistant Mark Wheatley taking charge of the South East Boys, and Melbourne AFLW players Bianca Jakobson and Katherine Smith coaching the girls.
Melbourne Academy Manager Kyle Docherty said it was an exciting time to see the second crop of boys, and first crop of girls, enter the program.
“The Melbourne Football Club Academy is responsible for developing elite talent from under-11s to 15s, right across our region, and we’re excited to have such a talented group to with this year,” Docherty said.
“The region has produced some great footballers over the years and we’re excited to play a role in developing the future stars of the game.”
The Melbourne Academy provides a pathway for the 11 to 15 age group, with players then moving to the Dandenong Stingrays program from the age of 16.
The program is also designed to drive new markets and develop players from indigenous and multicultural backgrounds.
The 2018 Melbourne Academy Squads are:
Mornington Peninsula
Balnarring
Luke Frampton, William Tiesdell-Smith, Xavier Wilson.
Beleura
Alan Alexander, Brodie Warry, Josh Whicher.
Dromana
Lachlan Aquilina, Nick Collier, Josh Guerts, Ceberio Johnson, Sam McGennisken, Jed Watson.
Hastings
Tom Buckley, Mitchell Smart.
Mount Martha
Ben Barrett, Josh Boomsma, Angus Clark, Lachie Sutherland.
Pearcedale
Connor Georgakopoulous, Rhyce Harvie, Finn Jakstas, Archie McGuiness, Campbell McMillan.
Red Hill
Miles Gouderjaan, Walter Johnson, Darcy Jones.
Rosebud
Nick Bertucci, Ben Fisher, Henry Hustwaite, Jarvis Williams-Moses.
Rye
Taj Campbell-Farrell, Jesse Davidson-Lopo, Finn Emile-Brennan, Angus Irvine, Saxby O’Dowd, Cassidy Short, Phoenix Stevenson, Jett Tomlinson.
Somerville
Zachary Becher, Riley Simpson, Devlin Webb, Shannon Yearsley.
Sorrento
River Evans, Fox Handley, William Jewell
South Mornington
Ryan Apperley, Brodie Collins, Mitch Collins, Ronan Voigt.
South East
Beaconsfield
Tom Baillie, Hayden Brown, Jarryd Maclaren, Connor Mouat, Lachlan Paul, Colby Pernar, Tom Richardson, Spencer Robertson, Ben Smith, Morgan Stevens, Mitchell Szybkowski.
Berwick
Luke Bailey, Harrison Best, Jaxon Binns, Braedyn Bowden, Drue Maher, Oscar Preston, Harrison Sala, Lucas Smith.
Berwick Springs
Jack Cornish, Noah Edwards, Ryan Lewis, Kai Maas, Tyler Varlet, Brock Walker.
Cranbourne
Thomas Clappers, Vanish Prasad.
Endeavour Hills
Aaron Findlay.
Koo Wee Rup
William Battams, James Voss.
Lyndhurst
Mitchell Kemish, Zander Sutherland, Zayne Sutherland, James Taylor.
Narre North Foxes
Samuel Dual, Ryan Hunter, Patrick Manno, Daniel Meunier, Jacob Mutimer, Patrick Sinnema.
Narre South Lions
Brody Hopkins.
Narre Warren
Alexander McCrae, Xavier Shinners, Daniel Toner.
Noble Park
Mangok Lok.
Officer
Kody Seing, Jay West.
Pakenham
Ryan Emerson, Koby Grass, Luke Ryan.
Parkmore
Brendan Alievski.
The Basin
Riley Frith.
Tooradin-Dalmore
Ben Sellings.
Girls – Combined
Balnarring
Amber Haslem, Olivia Laity, Charlotte Lillywhite, Ava Bruynen.
Beaconsfield
Zoe Davies, Olivia Magri, Bianca Mirigliani, Paige Reinheimer.
Beleura
Isla Shephard, Mackenzie Eardley, Taylah Gatt, Olivia Robinson, Rochelle Rollo, Charley Ryan, Matilda Westworth.
Berwick
Zahra Clavarino, Laura Gardner, Mia Taylor, Poppy Wardrop-Brown.
Cranbourne
Christall Layfield, Shanalie Marshall, Grace Pettigrove, Decoda Watson.
Mt Martha
Alice Berenger, Felicity Crank, Tara Heath, Olivia Latu, Charli Mellor, Indigo Service-Brown, Mackenzie Sice, Ella Watts.
Narre North Foxes
Keeley Calderwood, Amber Clarke, Tilani Dean, Lanie MacLean, Georgia Malkoun, Courtney Siwes, Brooke Smith, Montana Webb.
Narre Warren
Millicent Orchard.
Pakenham
Lexxi Anderson, Mia Chesterfield, Jaylee Virgona, Gracie Zuccolo.
Pearcedale
Chloe Godwyn, Kiralee Ross, Amberlie Wright.
Rosebud
Crystal Babic, Chloe James, Kiara Smith, Charlotte Spencer.
Somerville
Molly Griffiths, Hayley Monk.
Sorrento
Emily McCormack
South Belgrave/Lysterfield
Amy Watson, Brooke Watson.
South Mornington
Ebony Denning, Chelsea Veal.
Southern Power
Izabelle Leary.