By Brad Earle.
FAIRFIELD West's Kylie Ledbrook is at the forefront of a new generation of women soccer
players.
After leading her state under-18 team to it's national title with a 100% winning record, she is
now taking her first step towards becoming a Young Matilda.
This week, Ledbrook, 17, is at a training camp for 30 hopefuls vying to make the FIFA Under-19
Women's World Championships in Thailand next year.
The squad was named after last week's national talent identification championships for women,
held at Valentine Sports Park, Glenwood.
In the under-18 tournament, Ledbrook captained the NSW Metropolitan team to victory, just as she
did last year when the age group was under-17's.
NSW Metro won all seven round-robin matches (there were no finals).
The central midfielder also had the honour of wearing soccer's prized No.10 shirt.
"I love that number,"Ledbrook said.
The Westfields Sports High School Year 12 student has set her sights on going to college
in the US, hopefully after concentrating on the Young Matildas next year.
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Ledbrook
eyes US
uni goal
While it's a career path few Australian women's soccer players have taken, Ledbrook is getting a
helping hand in the college system from the NSW Institute of Sport.
"They've got contacts with people over there," she said.
"They're a huge help."
The NSWIS squad plays as the NSW Sapphires in the Women's National Soccer League in summer and as
the NSW Academy in the Women's Super League state competition in winter.
Not that Ledbrook minds the year-round commitment, saying "It's what you love doing, so you do
it."
She started playing at the age of six with Fairfield West and moved into girl's teams with
Wetherill Park Westerners, Southern Districts and Marconi.
Other local players in the NSW Metro under-18 team were Hayley Todd, of Abbotsbury, and
Julia Bazi, of Bonnyrigg Heights.
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Kylie Ledbrook (right) on the ball for the NSW Metro under-18s last week.