Three brothers from Port Stephens will don the green and gold of Australia and travel to a different country each next year to represent the nation in futsal.
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Roan Panther, 16, and younger brothers Will Phillips, 12, and Alex Phillips, 10, were selected for Australian teams after standout performances at the 2017 National School Futsal Championships in Brisbane last month.
The boys each played for Northern NSW Futsal Newcastle.
They were among the 10 to 11 players from across Australia to be selected for a team to represent the nation overseas next year.
“We’re very proud,” Renee Watson, Will and Alex’s mum and Roan’s step-mum, said.
“But it is quite hectic and stressful.
“They’re each going to different countries around the same time.
“Then there’s the cost.”
The cost to send the boys on their tours is between $5000 and $8000 each.
Roan will represent Australia on the under-17 team in South Brazil in May 2018.
The same month, Alex will jet off to Malaysia with the under-12 team and Watson.
Will, with the under-13 team, will go to Barcelona.
For Will and Alex, who attend Wirreanda Public School in Medowie, it comes after just 12 months of playing futsal.
“We grew up playing soccer,” Will said. “We [him and Alex] were getting bored not playing soccer in summer so we took up futsal.”
All three boys began playing soccer at Medowie Football Club. Will and Alex moved to Broadmeadow Magic FC, where they played this season.
The boys also take part in the Goal Brazil Academy for futsal in Cooks Hill on the weekends.
Will was recently selected to play for Maitland’s under-13 National Premier League team. Training began this week.
Roan plays for West Wallsend in the NEWFM Northern League One.
The Irrawang High School student began playing futsal with friends in 2013 and first represented Australia in China in August.
He was one of just two boys picked from Newcastle’s Goal Brazil Academy for the tour.
Each of the boys will take part in a futsal tournament with academy players from the country they are visiting.
A Go Fund Me page has been established to help Roan get to Brazil, and a joint one for Alex and Will.
If anyone is interested in sponsoring the boys on their Australian tours, email Watson on mummy005@hotmail.com.