CommBank Young Matildas commence FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup preparations with New Zealand series

The Commonwealth Bank Young Matildas will commence their preparations for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Costa Rica 2022™ with a two-match international series against the New Zealand Junior Football Ferns in Canberra.

Australia will host New Zealand in the nation's capital on 6 April and 10 April 2022 with the internationals the first competitive match action for Leah Blayney's team since the conclusion of the 2019 AFC U-19 Women's Championship.

Football Australia's Chief Executive Officer, James Johnson, said:

"It is exciting for Football Australia to continue to re-launch our youth national team programs and we are pleased to secure two international matches for the Commonwealth Young Matildas following a period of inactivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"These youth representative matches build on the strong partnership we have with our Trans-Tasman neighbours, New Zealand Football, with the senior Commonwealth Bank Matildas hosting New Zealand in Canberra on Friday, 12 April 2022.

"Providing our youth national teams with high quality match minutes consistently is vital to ensure their continued development. We are committed to supporting Leah and her team over the coming months as they return to the international stage and demonstrate the quality we can look forward to in the coming years."

Ahead of the international fixtures the Commonwealth Bank Young Matildas will enter a pre-camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) from Thursday, 31 March and conclude on 12 April 2022.

Head Coach Leah Blayney emphasised the importance of having competitive fixtures for the youth national team with the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup™ a little over five months away.

"This two-match international series against New Zealand is the first phase in ensuring the Commonwealth Bank Young Matildas are best prepared for the exciting moment ahead of them in August," Blayney said.

"We have been building together as a group for almost two years without the opportunity to test ourselves in international standard match conditions. It makes this series crucial in bringing together the players and fostering familiarity with our coaching staff and each other."

Blayney has named a 28-player roster for the training camp and international series comprising of a combination of A-League Women's players and players from Member Federation underpinning development programs. A majority of the squad named have been previously involved at U-17s level and in the Future Matildas program.

"The 28 players selected have been recognised for their excellent season in the A-League Women's, as well as providing several others with a chance to display their capabilities in a high-performance environment," Blayney said.

"I am pleased we can have an assembly that has international fixtures attached and provides the players with a clear goal over the next two weeks. We have an array of talent in our country and these home matches are an excellent platform to showcase the next generation of Australian footballers."

The Commonwealth Bank Young Matildas camp and internationals in Canberra is part of the continued return of all the women's national teams with the Junior Matildas currently undertaking a training camp and the ParaMatildas also due to commence national team activity.

"Capital Football is delighted to welcome our national teams back to Canberra and is looking forward to the matches that will be played here in April," Capital Football CEO Chris Gardiner said.

"The Commonwealth Bank Matildas, Young Matildas, Junior Matildas and ParaMatildas are an important part of the football family and are well-supported in the National Capital. We are anticipating some excellent international football over the coming weeks and encourage all supporters of the game to get out and back the teams in action."

Supporters can watch the Commonwealth Bank Young Matildas take on New Zealand for FREE on 6 April and 10 April 2022.

Commonwealth Bank Young Matildas v New Zealand

Wednesday, 6 April 2022

Venue: Deakin Stadium, Canberra

Kick Off: 6.30pm (AEDT)

Commonwealth Bank Matildas v New Zealand

Sunday, 10 April 2022

Venue: Viking Stadium, Canberra

Kick Off: 2.00pm (AEDT)

COMMONWEALTH BANK YOUNG MATILDAS SQUAD | 31 MARCH - 12 APRIL 2022