30 under 30: Geelong’s young entrepreneurs, sports stars and community volunteers making a difference
From rescuing animals while running a business to representing Australia in sport while completing year 12, the Geelong Advertiser has compiled a list of the region’s most inspiring young guns.
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Young guns across Geelong are making their mark on the world, from starting businesses while completing their schooling, to committing hours to volunteer organisations, and performing at international standards in various sporting codes.
The Geelong Advertiser has compiled a list of the top 30 under 30 most inspiring people in our region.
Angelique Moodie
With two businesses and a degree at just 19 years old, Angelique Moodie is looking to expand her endeavour to give clothing new life.
Her business Your Y2K Mum is a recycled clothing business, with a specific niche.
“I get clothes second hand and I have been importing overseas and its all 2000s clothes,” she said.
“I have been travelling to Melbourne and doing markets and I have recently built a website.
“It’s definitely what the younger generation is after and the clothes can be tricky to find.
“I have been getting bulk kilograms of clothes from overseas, usually from countries where it’s considered waste, so trying to give them a new life is what the goal is.”
The Drysdale teenager is also a junior accountant and said her job helps her learn how different businesses run and how to apply her accounting knowledge to her own ventures.
She said she was studying accounting at The Gordon before starting work.
“I really enjoy my job, it’s really insightful as well,” she said.
Ms Moodie also started a business when she was 16 selling crystals and homewares.
She said while Citrine and Lemon was on hiatus at the moment, she would be attending local markets over summer to see where she takes it in the future.
Nick Roberts
Nick Roberts has always loved baking cakes and had occasionally dreamt of running a cake shop.
The 29-year-old decided to make a career change and study patisserie at The Gordon, before launching Zuckerhaus in August last year.
“While baking has always been a passion of mine, the inspiration for starting a European-inspired cake business came from two sources: studying German at school and subsequent trips to Europe, sampling plenty of delicious cakes and pastries,” he said.
“And being inspired by how the contestants in The Great British Bake Off, one of my favourite shows, were able to turn their baking skills into successful businesses.”
Mr Roberts said Zuckerhaus has come a long way since it launched last year.
“Starting with orders from just family, friends and work colleagues, my customer base has now greatly expanded to those who have come across Zuckerhaus through word of mouth, advertising and search results,” he said.
“I’m even getting return customers, which is extremely validating.
“Zuckerhaus is now catering for celebrations from 60th birthdays through to children’s parties, work morning teas, and special occasions, such as Mother’s Day and Christmas.”
Mr Roberts said his dream was to move Zuckerhaus out of his home kitchen and into a storefront somewhere in Geelong.
“My favourite thing about what I do at Zuckerhaus is making people happy through the cakes I bake for them,” he said.
“I love receiving photos from my customers with their smiling kid in front of their birthday cake or just the remains of a devoured cake, with only a few crumbs left behind.”
Aly Boland
Aly Boland is working with one of the state’s top real estate agents and she did it by working from the ground up.
She also topped off a netball season this year for South Barwon with a grand final appearance at Kardinia Park.
The 26-year-old planned to go to university for sports science and business management, until a sliding doors moment at the real estate business where her mother worked.
“The receptionist where mum was working had just resigned, so she said ‘while you wait to go to uni why don’t you come and give us a hand for a couple of months’,” she said.
“I started at reception for a couple of months and I was really enjoying it, so I thought maybe I would have a gap year and it evolved from there.
“I deferred again, got into property management and decided I would stick with it, so I got into sales.”
Ms Boland said she worked with her sister Sophie Boland and Tony Morphett at Buxton, who was ranked in the top 50 real estate agents in the state.
“I work alongside Tony and that in itself has been a massive asset and achievement for me as he is one of the top listers and sellers in Geelong,” she said.
”On my first day I had to ask someone what the vendor, purchaser, landlord and tenant was so I literally started with no knowledge at all.
“I literally have started from the ground up.
“The most beneficial part of my growth has been starting from reception, going into property management and working my way up through the company by doing all different roles within the business, so I have knowledge of everything that runs the office.”
Carina Alessi
From a bedroom in her parents home to a Geelong West shopfront, Carina Alessi has never given up on owning her own salon.
Ms Alessi, 29, was a make up artist by trade when she said she wanted to explore more of the skin care and treatment aspect of the industry.
She is the proud owner of the Skin Room.
“I did some extra study to further my knowledge in skin and started to do microdermabrasion from a spare room in my parents house,” she said.
“I have gone from the bedroom to renting a room in a salon to creating my own salon and now in a bigger salon where we have five operating rooms.
“We have evolved over the years and made our move to the bigger salon last year.”
Ms Alessi said operating a small business throughout Covid lockdowns was her biggest challenge to date.
“It was really difficult for us, but in saying that it built resilience and got us to where we are today after having to endure all those difficulties,” she said.
The business owner said with beauty services and skin treatments available through the salon, she loved being able to boost people’s confidence.
“It all comes down to having people come in and leave with more confidence, even when it can be such a small thing they change, but as they leave they say ‘I feel good about myself’,” she said.
Imogen O’Shannessy
Imogen O’Shannessy has had a busy time after winning the Future Geelong under-25 leadership award this year.
The 16-year-old has just returned from New York where she walked for a designer at Fashion Week.
“I started modelling in 2020 and got offered to walk for a designer based in Melbourne in New York Fashion Week,” she said.
Imogen said she regularly travels interstate for pageants and modelling competitions.
Between school and her modelling roles, she’s an advocate for LGBTIA+ youth and played a key role in launching the Unsung Hero Award through the Geelong Youth Council.
She co-authored a bill on disability education and continues to enhance inclusivity and cultural opportunities for young people across Geelong.
“It was really important to be able to bring a Geelong voice into a state initiative and writing that bill was so interesting to me,” she said.
Imogen is also involved the Rainbow Youth Advisory Group, the QHub Youth Advisory Committee and the FReeZA committee.
“I find I have gained a lot of skills and qualities that I didn’t think I had and I think a big part of that is resilience and understanding not everything can happen immediately, but I am still helping make change in Geelong,” she said.
Cookie Robinson
From gigs in Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads to TV show The Voice, Cookie Robinson has hit the national stage with her music.
While she is still at school the 17 year old makes time to rehearse with her band Square 1 during the week, who have released some of their own music.
She recently featured on the Voice Blind Auditions and Battles, making it through to the next round.
Cookie said she had been singing for as long as she could remember.
“On the weekends I try to get up to some gigs and writing lots of music and writing with other people on new projects,” she said.
“I always have heaps of gigs coming into the summer holidays and around Christmas and New Years.
“I am pretty stacked for the next few months but really excited and I think I am playing at Christmas in the Grove this year which should be good.”
Her rendition of Set Fire to the Rain by Adele on TikTok has 14.8 million views and more than two million likes.
When she’s not singing, Cookie can be found in the water.
“I am a longboarder, I love surfing, so whenever the sky is clear I try to get out.”
Josh Carter
Josh Carter ended up one of the best young real estate agents in Victoria by chance.
The 29-year-old ranked in the best 30 under-30 real estate agents in the state earlier this year.
He was working in retail when six years ago a local director in the industry passed him a business card and said he thought Mr Carter had something.
“It has been in the back of my mind since and funnily enough the retail business closed so I went to work,” he said.
“Year on year I have been able to put myself in front of more people and more people have trusted me along the way.
“I think people know a good agent from a bad one pretty quick.”
Mr Carter, who now works at Buxton Real Estate, said he was fortunate to have experience and perspective from working at a couple of different businesses.
“I was thrown straight in the deep end as a sole sales agent which was a great thing and a bit of a trial by fire,” he said.
“But if you like what you’re doing and you see merit in it, you have to keep going and you’ll get there.”
Mr Carter has been recognised since he entered the industry.
“In my first agency I was recognised as a rising star which was peer voted within that business and then coming through to another I was recognised as one of the highest customer scored agents of about 600 agents,” he said.
When he is not at work, Mr Carter is still keeping busy.
”My wife will tell you I have a new hobby every three to four months, but I’m always looking to do something different and give something a crack,” he said.
“I have a baby on the way so that’s new and exciting, too.”
Tayla Winiecki
A Geelong teenager opened her first shopfront in the city centre during the September school holidays and it is already thriving.
Tayla Winiecki, 17, expanded her business Mooey Gooey Slimes, which she runs with her mum Kaye, from online only to a storefront recently.
She said it was going “really well”.
“It’s been consistently busy, which is amazing,” she said.
“With school holidays we have been open Tuesday to Saturdays and when school goes back we plan to open Fridays and Saturdays.
“It has expanded our customer base to people who didn’t even know we existed online and we’re in a very high-traffic area for people driving by or walking around.”
Mooey Gooey Slimes first opened online in 2019 and has grown since there.
There are currently 40 slimes listed on the Mooey Gooey Slimes website, including an option for customers to get creative and customise their own slime.
Tayla is also a dancer and joins in school productions which she says is really fun.
Sarah Tute
Every day Bannockburn woman Sarah Tute is advocating for animals and conservation, through her work and through her volunteering.
The recent winner of Miss Water Australia, is an animal technician for Melbourne University and works with the lab that hopes to bring back the Tasmanian tiger.
Miss Water is a runner-up award in the Miss Earth Australia competition, one of the big four beauty pageants along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International.
It is focused on conservation and protecting the environment and she said it was amazing and a huge relief to have been recognised with the award.
The 26-year-old said since the pageant she has been attending events through her Miss Earth connection, including a runway and networking event to raise awareness for mental health.
“I have been using my social media to advocate and spread awareness where I can for wildlife and what we can do to help,” she said.
“I also recently participated in a social media challenge, the threatened species bake off, so I made cupcakes that looked like the greater glider and WWF Australia (World Wildlife Fund) ended up reposting my cupcakes, which was cool.”
Mackenzie Sinclair
Mackenzie Sinclair, from St Leonards, is using her lived experience with mental health to help support others through a range of advocacy work.
Ms Sinclair said she was preparing for an event with headspace Geelong in the coming weeks.
“It’s a workshop on how to share your mental health story safely with young people which I am so excited about,” she said.
“It feels full circle because I sued to attend there when I was younger so it will be special.”
She also volunteers at a Geelong hospital and has fundraised for multiple charities including The Smith Family and the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Ms Sinclair currently works with mental health organisation Batyr to speak about her mental health experience.
She is also a student and community ambassador for the Push Up challenge.
Ms Sinclair, 19, was a finalist in the Future Geelong leadership awards in the under-25 category this year.
In her spare time, Ms Sinclair is also dancing and trying her hand at art and craft.
Idris McChesney
Noongar transgender man Idris McChesney is a writer and poet who decided to become a role model to ensure young people like him would never feel alone.
The 23-year-old came out at 16 and while dealing with gender dysphoria was desperate to find a queer First Nations person to look up to.
He told GT Magazine this year he wanted to be the role model he never had.
“I’m always out and open about being transgender because, especially growing up, I’d never seen anyone who’s blak and queer anywhere,” Mr McChesney said.
“I definitely wanted to be that for someone else, especially because I’ve got seven younger siblings so I always wanted to be blak and proud for them.”
Mr McChesney is a writer, poet and artist who works with mixed media and blends his writing into artworks.
He recently exhibited artwork at Murran and has hopes to write a screenplay for a film or TV show in the future.
Hteemoo Yohellaymusaw
Geelong’s Junior Mayor is always motivated to be a driver of change and support people in her community.
Hteemoo Yohellaymusaw is a Sacred Heart College student and saw youth council as an opportunity to put her leadership skills to use beyond the school community.
“I have always been an individual who has been keen to implement change and always putting my hand up and Youth Council was no exception,” she said.
“Youth Council presented me with a chance to not only develop my personal skills but to advocate for young people across Geelong and become a champion for change which I have been so grateful to have received.”
The young leader said her role, along with other youth councillors was to provide advice from perspectives that would ensure youth voices were heard and prioritised for projects and when creating change.
Hteemoo is also involved in her school community as a leader.
“My role has allowed me to enact change, participate in programs and run many initiatives to support those in our school community and wider community,” she said.
“In my own Karenni community I love to support my younger peers in tutoring and I am always seeking new opportunities to participate in any upcoming events as a speaker or simply helping out when possible.”
Makayla Maree
Makayla Maree is the face behind the luxe Italian tights label, Aviana the Label, which stemmed from her experience studying in Italy for a time during high school.
The Label has now broken into international markets in the UK and US.
”I became obsessed with the fashion and the way women are so confident with their fashion and to express themselves,” she said.
“A product that really stood out was stockings and it was because it was always patterned with hearts and diamonds and sparkles but it wasn’t a thing back home.”
The former Sacred Heart student had her partner’s mother sending her stockings from Italy every birthday and Christmas because it was a gap in the market back home.
“I just wanted to explore the possibility of bringing something like it to Australia and educating people on this fashion piece,” she said.
“We have had a lot of success, I am so humbled by it because I didn’t expect things to transform in the way they have.
“In Australia our focus is still on educating how to wear them, how to care for them but it's a staple in your wardrobe but in the US and UK it’s something every woman has so for us know its about establishing our brand there.”
When she’s not working on building her global brand 27-year-old keeps busy with her six rescued cats and one rescued German shepherd puppy.
She also helps behind the scenes with her partners gnocchi and pasta business with marketing and branding.
Will Solly
An Anglesea 25-year-old is the designer and craftsman behind Solly Surfboards, a custom surfboard and handplanes business.
Will Solly, along with his brothers Owen and Lachie, has crafted about 80 surfboards of all styles and shapes.
Mr Solly was 13 when he and his brothers started making surfboards at home.
“I really like making longboards and I also make mid-length, more performance-y boards,” he told GT Magazine earlier this year.
“The biggest thing I’m into at the moment is flexible surfboards, designing the boards so that they bend, so when you turn, the board shape changes.”
Mr Solly is also working hard to reduce waste with surfboard building and finding a way to make it more sustainable.
Kelly Hoskin
Inspired by recipes from her late mum and grandmother Kelly Hoskin opened her own business in Geelong West this year.
At Randy’s organically grew through social media and word of mouth as Ms Hoskin hoped to help people with her nostalgic food.
She made the move from real estate to business owner at the end of 2023 and had always loved the idea of having a space of her own.
“A little spot came up close to where I live and my partner and I previously said it would the perfect spot because of its size and hole in the wall set up I always envisioned,” she said.
“I don’t know if it was a coincidence or the universe was on my side but it was good timing and everything fell into place and now I have the shop.”
Ms Hoskin wanted to provide food, like lemon slice, Anzac biscuits and truffles, for people who needed comfort food or might not live close to family.
“I wanted to try something different and separate myself from the market, while doing something I know and that is special to me,” she said.
She said it was hard to quantify how well the new business was going as she hasn’t experienced a busy summer season yet but was hoping to continue to get more people through the door who she hasn’t met before but they heard from people that had a good experience with her.
Thomas Robinson
Thomas Robinson is an aspiring paramedic and volunteer for St John Ambulance.
Thomas, 16, was a finalist in the Future Geelong leadership awards in the under-25 category.
Through St John Ambulance he volunteers to provide first aid at events like AFL games, concerts across the state.
He said one recent event he was at was the Geelong Football Netball League grand final at Kardinia Park.
Thomas was recently promoted to senior member with the ambulance group, which includes leadership responsibilities.
He is also a member of his school council as a student representative.
Through this he advocates for what students want and need at school.
“I recently ran for school captain so will find out that result soon as I am trying to improve my leadership,” he said.
Thomas is also part time employed and said it was good to be on school holidays to spend more time helping people through St Johns.
“I also really enjoy baking and hanging out with my little brother who is five,” he said.
Will Taylor
Will Taylor’s sports-themed comedic TikTok content has evolved into a permanent role with Clubby Sports, which is a video and audio production company run by a former Carlton player.
The 23-year-old said Dylan Buckley took him on as an intern last year and through persistence he ended up getting a job.
“I’m still making the normal content and trying to do as much as possible with both sides of AFL, AFLW and AFL men’s and definitely looking to get into the cricket season when that gets into swing,” he said.
“I love the fact the content we make is relatable and that’s the reason people interact with our videos because see what happens in sporting culture and have a laugh about it.”
Mr Taylor said he was blown away to get the opportunity to work in the industry.
“In high school I used to listen to Dyl’s podcasts all the time and thought I would be one lucky kid if I could do what he does one day,” he said.
“For Dyl to be one of my number supporters of what I do and the content I make is a real dream come true.”
Mr Taylor is going to be playing cricket in Geelong this season and he is looking forward to upping his cricket content as last year he had three cricket themed videos that accumulated about 22 million views.
He has almost 40,000 followers on TikTok.
Mercy Antanasio
Mercy Antanasio is focused on inclusivity and creating a voice for young people in the Geelong community.
The Sacred Heart College student is Geelong’s Junior Deputy Mayor and also has leadership roles within her school community.
As a member of the 2024 youth council, Mercy helps organise events and initiatives that empower young people.
“This includes workshops, forums, and volunteer opportunities that encourage youth participation and foster a sense of belonging,” she said.
“I work closely with local organisations to ensure that the concerns and needs of young people in Geelong are represented and addressed.”
Mercy said she wanted to run for youth council to be a voice for her peers and make a meaningful impact in the community.
“I believe that young people have unique perspectives and ideas that can drive positive change, and I wanted to help create an environment where those voices are heard and valued,” she said.
“In addition to my work on the youth council, I’m involved in another school leadership role where I collaborate with my classmates to promote inclusivity and student engagement.
“I also volunteer in community events that aim to support and uplift under-represented groups, demonstrating my commitment to fostering a positive and supportive environment for all.”
Tommy Cockram
A Barwon Heads teenager has almost eight million followers on TikTok, @tcezy, and 1.2 million on YouTube as he plans for some big trips in his future.
Tommy Cockram, 18, focuses on travel and extreme sports through his content.
It’s a shift from previous content as he shot to fame with videos debunking myths and revisiting mysterious past events and previously created videos doing tricks and flips on the trampoline.
“I am enjoying getting to be my creative self and making videos on whatever I am interested in,” he said.
“I’m currently in year 12 but hopefully when I finish school I can get it going full time, that’s the dream.”
Mr Cockram is creating a big 2025 trip where he plans to meet some of his followers and is currently preparing for a sponsored trip to Bali.
“I am also going to Queensland on a trip with friends so will definitely make some content there,” he said.
“I’ve just been to Europe, which was so nice.”
Mr Cockram said his YouTube was the media that was growing the most.
“I started it later than I did TikTok, and I have that to more than 1.2 million subscribers which is the most growth for sure,” he said.
“The TikTok continues to go up slightly but times have just changed with the apps and algorithms.”
Cassidy Krygger
GT has described her as Geelong’s Margot Robbie and the rising actor and screenwriter has been battling multiple sclerosis while achieving her dreams.
Cassidy Krygger’s second short film Daisy which was inspired by the true story of her great-grandparents.
It won 13 awards from international film festivals around the world, including a best actor award for Cassidy, and is in contention to be nominated for the AACTA awards.
“I always hoped (it would have success), I’m always very ambitious, but I don’t think I dreamt it would have the success it’s had,” she told GT Magazine in August.
Krygger, 28, who is also a North Melbourne football fan is a lover of all things Old Hollywood.
She is behind viral Instagram handle HollywoodLand Photos, where she pays tribute to the golden era of movie making and reminisces about the icons.
Her page has 219,000 followers and reached seven million people in the August.
“It’s growing rapidly but it’s such a lovely thing,” Krygger said.
She now dreams of turning Daisy into a feature length film.
Chloe Hayden
Chloe Hayden is an actor, disability rights activist and author from Inverleigh.
She is best known for her role in Netflix’s cult remake of the TV series Heartbreak High, playing the role of autistic character Quinni.
Among the 27-year-old’s list of accolades is the Geelong Youth Disability Inclusion Award and Geelong young achiever award.
Hayden was diagnosed autistic and ADHD at 13 years old, and is now sharing her message of ‘Different, Not Less’ through seminars, conferences, schools and her own tours.
Mia Aitken
St Mary’s A Grade netballer Mia Aitken took her game and her leadership one step further this year as she captained the state team.
The Victoria under-17 team played in the National Netball Championships at Jubilee Park Stadium on the Mornington Peninsula.
Aitken captained the squad with Barooga’s Mackenzie O’Dwyer and led Victoria to a bronze finish, after finishing third in the minor rounds and defeating New South Wales in the final by three goals.
The teenager also played A Grade and 17 and under netball for St Mary’s in the Geelong Football Netball League this year, clocking 24 games played for the season.
Jack Henderson
Jack Henderson had a major role in Werribee’s VFL grand final win after he took home the Norm Goss Medal.
Henderson, 24, played for Geelong Falcons before he signed with Werribee in the VFL in 2018.
In the grand final he kicked two long goals in the second half when his team turned a deficit into a small lead and hung on until the end.
He also marked a 100 game milestone this year with the club and is a durable midfielder, averaging 22.3 possessions and 5.7 tackles, with 15 goals to his name this season.
Henderson was selected in the VFL team for the representative match against the SANFL early this season and was included in the VFL team of the year.
When speaking to Code Sports after the grand final the economist for Nutrien Ag Solutions at Bannockburn said he “absolutely” had AFL aspirations.
“I go out every week to put my best foot forward,” he said.
“If the opportunity comes, I’ll grab it with both hands.”
Ollie Peake
Ollie Peake is a shining star in Geelong’s junior cricket ranks with state and national representation already under his belt.
Peake, 18, batted centuries for Vic Country at the under-17 national championships and at Premier Cricket level for Geelong before performing well on the world stage for Australia in this under-19 World Cup triumph.
As one of the region’s most promising young cricketers Peake also captained the under-17 national championship Country Victoria team.
He was the youngest players in the national squad when he played in South Africa earlier this year.
An injury during school football for Geelong Grammar in June possibly marked the end of Peake playing multiple codes.
Geelong Grammar football director Troy Selwood said Peake would now focus on Year 12, getting rehabilitation done and look forward into an exciting cricket future.
Milly Illingworth
Milly Illingworth is making her mark on the cricketing scene in Victoria.
The 19-year-old made her Women’s Big Bash League debut with the Stars against the Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval last October.
Illingworth has crossed to the Renegades for the 24-25 season and is now focusing on cricket full time.
Early last year in South Africa, she played for the country at the under-19 World Cup.
The promising Geelong West fast bowler started her carer sub fielding in her father’s team and watching YouTube clips of 1970s and 80s tearaway Jeff Thomson.
She will also be returning to Geelong in the 2024-25 season to be closer to family.
Claudia Gunjaca
Claudia Gunjaca is popular on and off the field for the Geelong Cats this year.
She has joined the team for the second season of podcast Yeah the Girls with Becky Webster and Georgie Rankin which provides insight into life at the Geelong Football Club, alongside some solid banter.
The 27-year-old is a key defender, having played 32 games.
She debuted in 2022 and played for Geelong West, as well as La Trobe University and UTS in Sydney.
This season she has averaged 11 disposals and 3 tackles after finishing first in the league for intercepts and equal-sixth for marks.
Gryan Miers
A St Mary’s and Grovedale export, Gryan Miers has played 131 games for Geelong Cats since he was drafted in 2017 at pick number 57.
The medium forward debuted in 2019 in the opening round against Collingwood, has kicked 100 goals in his carer and this season averaged 20 disposals.
In the 2024 preliminary final, Miers put on a performance, notably a snap from the boundary in the second quarter along with a soccer style kick in the same quarter to Oliver Henry that resulted in a goal.
In the 2022 grand final, Miers, 25, had 18 disposals, six marks and five score involvements.
Mia Gross
Mia Gross debuted in her first Olympic Games in Paris this year in the 200m sprint.
The 23-year-old made the decision early in 2024 to focus on the 200m sprint rather than the 100m.
She finished sixth in her heat at Paris.
The Geelong Grammar student also competed in the 2022 Commonwealth Games as part of the 4x100m relay team that qualified through to the final and ultimately finished third.
Earlier this year she lowered her personal best of the 200m to 22.81 seconds.
She started her sprinting journey at Grovedale Little Athletics and told the Geelong Advertiser she burst into tears when she was told she made the 2024 Olympic team.
“It is a moment I have been dreaming of for as long as I can remember and to be told I am now an Olympian was truly one of the best moments,” she said.
Joel Baden
Joel Baden competed in his second Olympic Games in Paris this year.
He is an Australian high jumper, hailing from Geelong and first competed in 2016 in Rio.
His eight years training in the interim paid off and in 2023 cleared 2.33m, moving him to number three all-time in Australian history.
In the qualifying at Paris he cleared 2.15m and missed out on jumping in the final.
Baden, 28, spent his formative years training and competing for Chilwell Athletics Club.
Geelong athletics coach Richard Lawysz previously told the Geelong Advertiser he knew almost straight away he had a special athlete when Baden came to the track.
Kyra Cooney-Cross
Australian soccer player Kyra Cooney-Cross is coming home.
Cooney-Cross debuted for Melbourne Victory at 15 years old and last year signed with Arsenal in the Women’s Super League, the top tier of English women’s professional soccer.
The Torquay product was part of the 2024 Paris Olympics Matildas squad, her second Olympic Games and last year competed in her first World Cup campaign.
In December, Cooney-Cross, 22, will have the opportunity to play in front of her hometown fans when the Matildas play an international friendly at GMHBA Stadium.
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