Two local 14-year-old boys have just returned from the Under-15 KickStart football championships held in Sydney from April 8-13.
Jordan Kickett and Austin Riley trained hard to get a place in the WA side, comprising of 22 players.
Jordan started out his football career playing with the under-11 Barons in Northam and now goes to Guildford Grammar to play football and focus on his education.
Austin, originally from Perth, started playing football in Merredin before moving to Northam to study at Northam Senior High School .
Both boys are hoping to be selected for the Flying Boomerangs team which involves travelling to a developing country to play matches against local teams.
Players for the Kickstart championships are selected on leadership qualities, school attendance, community involvement and football ability.
The championships provide development opportunities in other roles such as umpiring, coaching and administration. In addition, the competition boasts multiple social and cultural benefits for the teenagers.