Assistant coach Melissa Andreatta helping shape the next generation Matildas
A number of Matildas are expected to hang up their boots before the next World Cup but one Aussie coach has been helping shape the next generation into stronger and smarter players.
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Matildas assistant coach and Under-23s head coach Melissa Andreatta is helping shape the next generation of Matildas – a new breed – who will be faster, more physical, football smart, more mature and have plenty of international experience.
Gone are the days when the Matildas starting list features high-school aged teens not even old enough to drive.
When the new generation steps up once the inevitable exodus from the Matildas core group happens during the next couple of years most of them will have spent years playing in the national team set up, be no stranger to a camp life or travelling and playing overseas.
It is a huge difference to the start many of the core group of Matildas got.
Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso and Ellie Carpenter were all still in high school when they made their senior international debuts.
They also played in their respective age teams but competitions back then were few and far between.
A surge in women’s football means the Junior Matildas, Young Matildas and Women’s U-23 National Team travel regularly for international competitions – even age based World Cups.
So when dynamic midfielder and A-Leagues’ Women’s Young Footballer of the Year Daniela Galic (17), speedy winger Indiana dos Santos (16) or agile attacker Shelby McMahon (15) make their move to the senior squad they will already have years of experience playing international football.
Andreatta is currently in Sweden with the U-23s squad for the Four Nations tournament against Sweden, Germany and Poland.
“We’ve seen more Young Matildas vying to be Matildas,” Andreatta said.
“In the past, going back to that performance gap report, we lost a lot of players in this age group because the pathway kind of stopped for a bit at the end of under-19s and 20s.
“What we are doing with this under-23s program is common around the world, I could offer a list of countries who have had an under-23s team for many years now and it’s been the norm for those countries and a lot of them are in the top 10, if not the top five for players that take those steps.”
Not everyone has a linear pathway – look at Clare Hunt.
But there is proof coming through the program works. Take USA national women’s player Rose Lavelle – who played in all national age-group teams before impressing as a 24-year-old at the 2019 World Cup.
“She came through the pathway and took her time,” Andreatta said.
“The environment allowed her to grow and thrive in the under-23s before she was given that opportunity.
“I think what we will see is hopefully more players staying in the game longer because they see the pathway and have more opportunity to grow.
“It’s not a rush and it’s not all over because they haven’t made it at under-16s.”
Camps and tournaments expose the players to a high performance environment and everything that comes with that.
It means by the time they are ready to join the senior team they walk through the doors knowing exactly what to expect.
Andreatta said the camps focused on every element of the players’ development.
“This group of staff are so committed to doing whatever it takes to help these players fulfil their potential,” Andreatta said.
“That includes not only the x’s and o’s and that tactical understanding but the physical development. We’ve also been doing a lot of work on mentality and mental skills to cope with high performance environments where pressure can be perceived to be a whole lot more than it might actually be.”
Playing against top class opposition at the Four Nations Tournament will give Andreatta a chance to see just how the next generation are tracking compared to players their own age in other top European countries.
“It is pretty easy to look at the scoreboard, but can we use it? Can we really challenge ourselves here and see where we’re at and what we need to do to get to where we want to be,” she said.
The Under-23’s Women’s National Team will play Poland on May 29, Germany on June 1 and Poland on June 4.
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Originally published as Assistant coach Melissa Andreatta helping shape the next generation Matildas
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