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.