Hyundai Football West Academy duo earn Junior Matildas call-up

Hyundai Football West Academy duo Theo Mouithys and Sakura Leong have been named in an extended CommBank Junior Matildas squad ahead of the ASEAN U16 Girls' Championships 2025™.

Head Coach Michael Cooper announced the 33-player extended squad today for the championships, to be held in Indonesia from Monday 18 August to Friday 29 August.

Mouithys and Leong have been selected after strong performances for the WA State U16s Girls at the recent CommBank Emerging Matildas Championships in Sydney, as well as their excellent displays for the Hyundai Football West Academy in this season's NPLWA - Women's competition.

The squad will be cut to 23 prior to the competition.

This is Leong's first national call-up, while Mouithys was involved in a five-day Junior Matildas camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra in April.

Football West Football Development Officer Andrew Ord said: "Congratulations to both Sakura and Theo for the work they have put in since November. This is recognition not just for them but for the contribution the Hyundai Football West Academy program has made to their development."

Mr Ord, who oversees the Girls program in the Academy, added: "Both [Academy U18s head coach] Stephen Walmsley and his assistant Damon Mallows have helped the girls improve their game individually, which has made a big difference. Also, the durability and robustness both girls showed at the recent Emerging Matildas Championships is testament to the new strength and conditioning program that Chris Wing implemented. 

"We are fortunate to have the Sam Kerr Football Centre at our disposal, helping create an elite environment. The exciting thing is that the younger players have two great examples of what can be achieved next year if they keep following the process."

Australia were drawn in Group C earlier this week alongside Singapore and Thailand, with Group A featuring the host nation Indonesia, Malaysia, and Timor-Leste, and Group B made up of Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

The ASEAN U16 Girls' Championships 2025™ will be the first time this group of CommBank Junior Matildas represent Australia, as well as their first international competition.

Cooper said that every player in the squad has earned their place, and he was excited to lead the team in their first international competition.

 “It is exciting for us to begin to lay the foundations for the next generation of CommBank Junior Matildas,” Cooper said.

“Over the last few months, the team and I have been watching and assessing emerging talent from across a range of Australia’s elite youth development pathways, and the extended squad is a reflection of this.

“We've worked closely with Member Federations and clubs to ensure we’re casting the net wide and giving players the opportunity to show what they can bring to the national team setup. This has included talent identification at the CommBank Emerging Matildas Championships last week.

“With that said, the door is open for individuals not named in this extended squad to be part of the future of the Junior Matildas training camps and tournaments.

"What is key to me is that we have players and staff that buy into our culture where development, performance and growth is just as important off the pitch as on. 

“We are keen to create a challenging and supportive environment within the CommBank Junior Matildas that inspires young players to dream big and to take ownership of their journey. It is important that every member of the team buys into this as well.

“Our role is to introduce the CommBank Junior Matildas to international competition, guide them through their first experience of representing Australia, while also preparing the team for the Qualifiers later this year.

"The ASEAN U16 Girls' Championships 2025™ is the first crucial step in preparing for the upcoming AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2026™, and it will help us identify the strengths of the group and how to best support them as we enter other international competitions.”

The ASEAN U-16 Women's Championship is an international women's youth football tournament organised by ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and this is its fifth edition.

Returning after a five-year hiatus, the 2025 AFF U16 Women’s Championship features nine participating teams, maintaining the number from previous editions held in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

A notable change this year is the group format: instead of two groups, the teams are now divided into three groups of three, playing in a single round-robin format. The top team from each group and the best-performing second-placed team will advance to the semi-finals.   

COMMBANK JUNIOR MATILDAS | ASEAN U16 2025™ EXTENDED SQUAD | JULY 2025