Our One’s to Watch in episode 8 of Football Stars of Tomorrow are the incredible 17 year old twin girls from rural Dubbo, Ashleigh and Nicole Sykes.

An amazing story of hard work and determination to succeed in the game they clearly love so dearly, Ashleigh and Nicole are now representing Australia as Young Matilda’s and are sure to join the senior ranks in the years ahead with the stunning results they deliver each and every time they step onto the pitch.

The twins appear to have benefited greatly from the ‘sister vs sister’ rivalry as they’ve progressed through the age groups – the ‘anything she can do I can do also’ approach.  We hear how they’ve spent many hours of their young lives travelling to training and tournaments from remote Dubbo in Central NSW, but in the end all the travel and parental dedication to the girls ambitions, has really paid off.

View the podcast of this segment from episode 8 right here - congratulations Ashliehg and Nicole!

Our One to Watch in episode 7 of Football Stars of Tomorrow is exciting Western Sydney 17 year old, Dimitrios Petratos. You don’t see father and son combinations playing at in the same side side too often, particularly at this level of the game, but Dimitrios plays with his well-known father every weekend with the Penrith Napean United side. Father Angelo, now 41 but extremely fit, played professionally in Greece before coming to Australia and playing in the old NSL. A football crazy family indeed with no less than 7 current players, football is king in the Petratos family.

Dimitrios, the eldest of the kids, has recently signed with Sydney FC after being selected in the Australian Joeys side and being in camp with the national Under 20’s side. He hope to continue his rise to the top and dreams of a green and gold debut in the not too distant future – it seems a fairly sure thing for this high-energy midfielder.

View the podcast of the segment from episode 5 right - congratulations to the entire Petratos family – particularly mum!

The ‘One to Watch’, or more correctly, the ‘Ones to Watch’ in episode 6 of Football Stars of Tomorrow are Alisha Bass, Annika Clayton and Natalie Tobin, three young Sydney girls destined for stardom in the World Game. All three girls play for the NW Sydney Koalas U14’s, and all three were selected in the inaugural Australian Girls U14 squad that competed recently in the AFC Festival of Football in Vietnam.

All three girls describe their love and dedication to the game and what it means to play for their mates and their country.

View the podcast of the segment from episode 5 right here and learn how Steven plans to ‘go all the way’ in the game he loves. Congratulations Steven!

‘One to Watch’ in episode 5 of Football Stars of Tomorrow features exciting Sydney 14 year old, Steven Ilic. Now attending Endeavour Sports High School where football is part of the curriculum, Steven tells us of his meteoric rise through the ranks and of his Socceroo aspirations.

Now playing for NSwiss U18’s (as a 14 year old) in the Premier League, there’s little doubt about Steve’s future in the game, described by coaches as a ‘goal scoring machine’.

View the podcast of the segment from episode 5 right here and learn how Steven plans to ‘go all the way’ in the game he loves. Congratulations Steven!

Episode 4 of Football Stars of Tomorrow features exciting Ghana born 18 year old, Kofi Danning.  Playing on the streets as a 7 year old before moving to Canberra with his family, Kofi has a dream of being a very big name in global football.  It seems he’s made all the right moves since then to achieve such lofty heights.

Kofi scored 40 goals in one season for Deakin in the ACT.  He trained at the AIS and then joined Sydney FC Juniors.

Kofi was given his chance in the senior side during the 2008-09 Hyundai A-League season. He scored the winning goal on debut for Sydney FC in the 84th minute against Wellington Pheonix.  Obviously, this was a dream start for the youngster.  He is expected to feature in the starting line-up more often than not in this current season.

Episode 3 of Football Stars of Tomorrow features 15 year old Anne Mayo of the Illawarra Stingrays from the South Coast of NSW.  This exciting junior is well beyond her years making her first grade debut at the tender age of 13.

Anne has recently been selected to play for NSW and is clearly on the verge of international selection, a dream she holds close to her heart.  Her coach believes that a future with the Matildas is almost assured and that Anne is likely to receive offers from the lucrative US Women’s League over the next few years.
Football is now played by an amazing 26,000,000 women worldwide representing 10% of the total of all people playing the game.  Anne is destined for stardom amongst the masses.  View the podcast of the segment from episode three featuring Anne right here, and stay tuned to see how her career develops. 

Congratulations Anne and good luck!

BRANDON LUNDY - AUSTRALIAN UNDER 13s

Manly United's 13yo striker BRANDON LUNDY is not your typical footballer. The LUNDY family travels over 1,000 kilometres a week as Brandon chases his dream to become a professional footballer.
 
You see, Brandon hails from SEAHAM which is north of Newcastle and he travels three times a week to Sydney to train and play with Manly in the NSW Premier Youth League competition. That commitment is certainly paying off with the youngster winning selection in the inaugural Australian Under 13 side.
 
Our FSOT cameras tracked Brandon Lundy down recently as MANLY took on the Sutherland Sharks. Co-incidentally, Brandon lined up against Australian team-mate RICHARD BLANCO. It turned out to be a drama charged match with a stunning conclusion!

ANTHONY PROIA - Marconi Stallions U15s

Anthony Proia is a 15 year old striker with the Marconi Stallions side that plays in the NSW Premier Youth League.  Proia and his Stallions team-mates will soon be off to England to compete in the prestigious Manchester United Premier Cup.

It's a global tournament which this year started with 9,400 teams from 43 countries.  It's now down to the final 20 clubs.  Marconi defeated New Zealand side Waitakere United 2-0 in the Pacific Final and Proia had another great game.

Some big names in football have previously taken part in the Man United Premier Cup, including Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Fernando Torres.  Can Proia follow a similar path?

Only time will tell, but this talented youngster is heading in the right direction.  Proia recently made his debut for the Australian under 15 side and scored in a 3-2 win against Japan in Canberra.