Emerging Socceroos Champs Wrap Up in Melbourne
The stands at the Home of the Matildas were filled with excited spectators and supporters who witnessed the culmination of six days of high-quality competition from Football Australia’s nine state and territory Member Federations. A combined 354 goals were scored across the tournament which featured over 1,500 players and officials from 32 teams.
Subway Socceroos’ Head Coach Tony Popovic was in attendance to present the winning teams with the CommBank Emerging Socceroos Championships Trophy alongside Football Australia Chairman Anter Isaac, Interim CEO Heather Garriock and numerous other National Team Coaches and staff who witnessed the action.
In the Under 15 Age Group Final, Victoria Blue secured a third consecutive title at the event following their 3-0 victory over a determined Queensland Maroon. Jordan Vonja opened the account in the fifth minute to set the tone for the Victorians who finished the match with goals to Thomas Nasso and Levi Buttlgleg to secure the victory.
Quotes attributable to Victoria Blue Under 15 Head Coach Vaughan Coveny:
“I’m super excited for the boys, we had a great week and they performed really, really well.
“It just goes to show that Victoria at both grassroots and NPL level is doing some great things. We just have to keep building, and hopefully after this tournament, some of our players get selected into those national camps which is the ultimate goal.
“By playing elite matches against the best in the country, that’s how they learn. We’re really happy with them and they deserve everything they’ve achieved this week.”
In the Under 16 Final, NSW Sky proved too strong for Western Australia, taking out the title with a 3-0 victory. The opener came directly from a corner in the 21st minute, before two further goals sealed the win despite a resilient WA defence.
Quotes attributable to NSW Sky Under 16 Head Coach Andrew Taylor:
“The group has been working really hard all week to put together a complete performance. We’d had some good patches, but today it was really pleasing to see us start and finish well.
“Everyone involved in this age group knows how much talent is in the squad. But what’s brought them success is how they’ve come together and learned how to maximise each other.
“To reach the top level, it’s not just about what happens on the field – it’s all the preparation and recovery too, and the boys have been first-class in that the whole time. This tournament gives them a taste of what professional and hopefully national team football looks like.”
Earlier in the day, NSW Sky also claimed third place in both the Under 15 and Under 16 age groups – further highlighting Football NSW’s strong showing at the tournament.
Following the Finals, individual awards were presented, with Football Australia coaches and officials recognising standout performers across a range of categories.
The newly introduced Fair Play Awards were presented by Tournament Director and General Manager of Competitions, Ezel Hikmet:
Referee Lead for the Championships, Stephen Toth, presented the Referee of the Tournament awards:
The Coach of the Tournament awards were presented by General Manager of Coach Education and Futsalroos Head Coach, Miles Downie:
Subway Joeys Head Coach Carl Veart presented the Championship Final MVP awards:
Subway Olyroos Goalkeeper Coach, Neil Tate, presented the Goalkeeper of the Tournament awards:
Former Subway Socceroo and Football Australia GM of Player Development & Pathways, Josh Kennedy, presented the Golden Boot awards:
CommBank Executive Manager of Brand Partnerships, Tasmine Heath, presented the CommBank Player of the Tournament awards:
Heather Garriock and Carl Veart also presented silver and gold medals to all players, coaches, and match officials from the Championship Finals.
Football Australia acknowledges the ongoing support of the Victorian Government through its tourism and major events agency, Visit Victoria.
CommBank Players of the Tournament
Under 15: Josef Sikora (Football NSW)
Under 16: Aston Reid (Football NSW)
Goalkeepers of the Tournament
Under 15: Aaron Black (Football West)
Under 16: Lachlan Allen (Football NSW)
Referees of the Tournament
Under 15: Joseph Bojcevski (Football SA)
Under 16: Makis Loukeris (Football VIC)
Coach of the tournament
Under 15: Vaughan Covney (Football VIC)
Under 16: Andrew Taylor (Football NSW)
Championship Final MVP
Under 15: Jordan Vonja (Football VIC)
Under 16: Emile Katrib (Football NSW)
Golden Boot
Under 15: Riad Rarhidi, 7 goals (Football SA)
Under 16: Orson Conroy, 9 goals (Football NSW)
Fair Play Award
Under 15: Football Tasmania
Under 16: Capital Football
Under 15 Championship Final:
Victoria Blue 3 def Queensland Maroon 0
Victoria Blue: Jordan Vonja (8′), Thomas Nasso (15′), Levi Buttigieg (50′)
Under 16 Championship Final:
NSW Sky 3 def Western Australia 0
NSW Sky: Corey Da Cruz (21′), Max Court (44′), Jordan Owusu (58′)
Under 15 Team Rankings
Under 16 Team Rankings
https://www.ffa.com.au/news/commbank-emerging-socceroos-championships-conclude-melbourne