How missing Paris Olympics is driving Matildas Emily Gielnik and Chloe Logarzo to inspire the next generation

Another cruel injury blow ruled Matildas Emily Gielnik out of the Olympics, but the striker has found another way to influence the next generation alongside teammate Chloe Logarzo.

Another injury has ruled Emily Gielnik out of contention for the Olympics but she is channelling her energy into something positive.

Gielnik was also ruled out of the 2023 World Cup squad with an ankle injury but pushed through pain to play in the A-League season with Melbourne Victory in a bid to reclaim her spot in the national team.

The striker was called into the Matildas camp in March but sent home before a game was played after injuring her calf.

“It still probably comes down to this initial ankle injury,” Gielnik said.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t selected for this Olympics due to the timing of my injuries, which has been a really, really hard one to take once again, but it is out of my control.

“There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Matildas Emily Gielnik and Chloe Logarzo have launched a new football clinic for young girls looking to grow their skills. Photo: Supplied

Another Matildas teammate knows Gielnik’s pain.

Chloe Logarzo also missed the World Cup when she didn’t find form in time following an ACL injury.

Despite also being called into the Mexico camp, Logarzo wasn’t named in the Olympic team.

Gielnik and Logarzo have teamed up to find a new way to inspire the next generation of Matildas by launching Future Baller.

They have more than 100 Matildas caps between them.

“For years, Chloe and I have been wanting to do something to grow this game,” Gielnik said.

“But since the World Cup and both of us narrowly missing out due to injury and just timing, watching the World Cup and being involved in media sparked something in us.

“We’ve watched all of the Australian young female footballers fall in love with the Matildas and fall in with the game.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 17: Emily Gielnik of the Victory is chased by Karly Roestbakken of Melbourne City during the A-League Women round 20 match between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City at La Trobe University Sports Fields, on March 17, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Through Future Baller, Gielnik and Logarzo, with the help of top coaches, will do a number of clinics in Sydney and Melbourne in October.

“We want to provide an opportunity that I never had as a kid,” Gielnik said.

“It is not your normal football clinic. It is going to be five hours of exclusivity and what it takes to get to the top and how to stay there.”

The clinic will include sessions by top coaches, including warm-up drills, defending and finishing techniques.

Gielnik said there would also be a session on ambition and setting goals, Q&As with herself and Logarzo and special guest appearances from their Matildas teammates.

“This is nothing like the clinics when I was a kid, the kind where you paid $50 and you were just playing games and eating oranges,” Gielnik said.

“It was different times. This isn’t just really good coaches putting together a coaching program.

“This is two current Matildas with the best coaches delivering a masterclass for five hours and giving back to these kids and inspiring them.”

The clinics have been popular and Gielnik said there were plans to hold more, and in other states.

Originally published as How missing Paris Olympics is driving Matildas Emily Gielnik and Chloe Logarzo to inspire the next generation