TALENTED soccer player Cooper Sweeney will represent Northern NSW next month at the Football Federation Australia National Youth Championships for boys in Coffs Harbour.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 12-year-old from Elizabeth Beach made the final 16 player country squad for the under 13s side after successful trials in Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour earlier this year.
The country squads are made up of players from Northern NSW Football (NNSWF) member zones which include the Mid North Coast, North Coast, Far North Coast and Northern Inland.
Cooper and his team mates will compete against some of the best players from Western and South Australia.
He says the selection has given him the confidence to want to progress even more in the sport.
“I feel like I can go further with my career now if I keep trying,” he said.
“It felt good to make the squad and that they noticed me as player.
“I’ve played with a lot of the guys on the team before so we’re all familiar with each other.”
Under 13’s coach Andy Lennon said he was very impressed with the quality of players that trialled.
“It was great to see such a high quality of players that trialled throughout the process. Now that we have a confirmed squad, I am looking forward to the training sessions set and preparing for the tournament,” he said.
“The National Youth Championships is a great opportunity for the players’ development, being able to play against the elite players of their age group and for NNSWF to see where their players compare to the rest of the country.”
Cooper, who has been playing soccer since he was five, says he got into the sport after watching his father and grandfather play.
“They were good players and I wanted to keep that tradition going,” he said.
Cooper says he enjoys the midfield the most out of any of the positions.
“I love it,” he said.
“I’m used to it. I guess I’m comfortable there. I enjoy running around a lot you get more time with the ball too.”
Cooper plays for the Football Mid North Coast representative side and trains in Taree every Tuesday and in Port Macquarie every Thursday.
The team have made it into the semi-finals this year which will be played this week after a bye last weekend.
Cooper’s goals for the future are to one day make the premier A-league or to play for Australia.
But for now, he’ll be concentrating on playing well at the National Championships.
Cooper will join his coach and team mates in Coffs Harbour for a week-long training camp prior to the competition.
“I’m hoping to go well. I’m feeling pretty confident,” he said.
“All I can do is my best.”
This year marks the fourth year Northern NSW has fielded both a country and metropolitan squad in both the under 13 and under 14 age groups for the National Youth Championships for boys.
The competition will take place in Coffs Harbour on September 29.