Mark Carroll’s daughter, Indianna, on cusp of winning coveted Dallas Cowboys NFL cheerleader spot

Indianna Carroll, the 27-year-old daughter of former rugby league enforcer Mark ‘Spudd’ Carroll, is just 54 places from creating a piece of Australian sporting history.

Indianna Carroll.

Here’s the proof you don’t need to be a player to create Australian sporting history.

Sydneysider Indianna Carroll has been invited to America for a final audition to achieve her dream of becoming a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys NFL team.

The 27-year-old daughter of former rugby league enforcer Mark Carroll has already passed the first two rounds and will now compete alongside 64 other women, which will be whittled down to 10, for a place in the world-famous group.

Carroll departed Sydney for Texas on Monday for a training camp, which is the subject of the hit Netflix documentary, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

“I have put my life on hold for this dream,” Carroll said.

Even just appearing in the Netflix reality show is enormous exposure for Carroll, who has been a Manly Sea Eagles cheerleader for the past 10 seasons.

Indianna Carroll is trying out to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

According to Netflix’s engagement report from July-December 2024, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders was streamed for almost 64 million minutes with 9.6 million views.

The show is available globally, giving it a massive worldwide reach.

“An Australian going over there and making it is unheard of,” Mark Carroll said.

Around 4000 aspiring dancers apply to fill the 10 rookie places in the team.

They submit a video where they discuss their goals, as well as a one-minute clip showcasing their dancing skills.

The short-listed cheerleaders are then sent a choreography video which must be learned, filmed and sent back.

There are 36 Dallas cheerleaders, including the 10 rookies, who perform at the franchise’s 80,000-seat home venue, AT&T Stadium.

“Dallas cheerleaders are the epitome of cheerleading in the world,” Carroll said.

“I have been in a cheerleading outfit with pompoms since I was one year old. It’s part of who I am.”

If Carroll secures her place at the training camp, she will spend another four weeks in the US learning choreography, sideline routines and the Cowboys’ famous kickline.

The winners will then be decided by July 14 at The Star, the club’s Dallas headquarters.

The cheerleaders perform in front of an 80,000-strong crowd in Dallas. Picture: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The first season of the Cowboys documentary series was viewed 9.6 million times last year. Picture: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Netflix

“It’s very surreal getting this far and it’s going to be very hectic. I love what I do, it brings me so much joy and I am filled with so much pride when I do my cheerleading,” Carroll said. “It’s special bringing that element of entertainment to a game day. There’s something really cool bringing that sparkle.

“I have worked so incredibly hard for this and without sounding super-clichéd, it would be a dream come true. For this to become reality would be next level.

“When you love something so passionately, the most sensible thing to do is follow your heart. It’s such a burning desire for me. I can’t let it rest until I give it a good go. At the end of the day you just have to back yourself and Dallas is the most iconic NFL organisation, for sure.”

Indianna Carroll as a Manly Seabird.

Former league hard man Mark Carroll. Picture: Brett Costello

Carroll, who lives on Sydney’s northern beaches, has twice attempted to become a Dallas cheerleader and reached the same audition level last year before narrowly missing out.

“You have to be resilient and head strong in this game and it can be extremely physically and emotionally demanding. Hopefully all my hard work will pay off,” said Carroll, who has also worked at high-end clothing brand Zimmermann for eight years.

Her mum, Monique, has been the cheerleading director at Manly — known as the Seabirds — for the past 31 years.

“I grew up dancing and have always aspired to do cheerleading and to get to this stage,” she said. “It just feels right.

Mark, nicknamed Spudd, was a rugby league hard man who played 185 NRL games for Manly, Penrith and Souths between 1987 and 1999 along with seven State of Origin matches for NSW and six Tests for Australia.

“I’m incredibly proud of her. Hopefully she can now go over there and blow them away. She makes dancing look easy. Goals are there to be achieved. Very cool, man,” he said.

Originally published as Mark Carroll’s daughter, Indianna, on cusp of winning coveted Dallas Cowboys NFL cheerleader spot