Two 12-year-old Armidale boys, Reece Burton and Tom Campbell have been selected to represent Northern NSW Football in a 13s Boys squad to play in Tasmania from September 13 – 18.
Reece and Tom’s talents were recognised when representing Northern Inland Football at a Coffs Harbour carnival and they were selected by Northern NSW Football’s High Performance Manager, David Smith, to play in the 13s side.
Training dates, where the boys will meet and train with their fellow team-mates are yet to be scheduled. “I’m really excited about meeting the rest of the team, and going away with them,” Reece said.
The first three days will be played at Hobart against Tasmanian based teams. In two of these games, the 13s team will play up an age group, competing against 14-year-old players.
Reece and Tom have been playing football since kindergarten, and both play in the South Armidale team. Although they are only 12, they have been playing for the 14s side due to their advanced skill level. This has made them familiar with playing against older players, with Tom saying that playing in the higher division had improved his performance on the field.
After the games at Hobart, the team will travel to Launceston to participate in the Launceston Cup over the weekend.
This is a great opportunity for the young players and they are both enthusiastic about the experience.
