Canberran boys in the National U17 Team

Four ACT Boys Selected in National Team

Four ACT players have been selected in the National Under – 17’s squad to tour Japan early next month after their stand out performance at the NTC Institute Challenge this week.

Chris Bush, Danai Gapare and Stephen Domenici have all been named in the squad with Ben Harrington named as a stand-by for that team.

“Having three to four players from the ACT in a 16 to 18 man squad is tremendous. To think that 20%-25% of the national team is from Canberra is a bonus for everyone here. Big pat on the back to Mike Milovanovic for what he’s doing at ACTAS and the level of our program,” Capital Football technical director Ian Shaw said.

All four players are members of the ACTAS program who won all five of their matches against their interstate opposition. Remaining the only undefeated state/territory come the conclusion of the competition - only conceding a single goal throughout the six day event at the AIS.

“NTC was a fantastic event for all these players to gauge where they’re at in their own personal development,” Shaw said.

This is the latest honour for the combined ACTAS and Capital Football partnership further reinforcing the strength of Canberra’s junior development and elite player pathway. Already there’s four Canberrans currently training with the Matilda’s and two former players are now members of the AIS men’s football program.

“It’s a great sign for the development program, from the Capital Football Academies to the ACTAS program. It shows that our elite pathway is developing nicely and giving opportunities to players through our programs.”