SCHOOLGIRL Libby Sharpe is hoping her sacrifices will be rewarded when she continues her push for Young Matildas selection in the Jets' W-League opener tomorrow.
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The Corlette girl will be part of the debut Newcastle side in the W-League against Canberra United at Wanderers Oval, and nothing could keep the smile off the face of the under-17 Australian fullback.
And when the year 11 St Philip's Christian College, Waratah student attempts to tackle the best strikers the W-League has to offer, like Amy Chapman (Canberra United) and Kyah Simon (Central Coast), she hopes the Young Matildas (under 20s) selectors are watching.
"I just want to show them what I can do," Sharpe said.
"It's a big step from playing down at the local park on Sunday now, to having these games televised and having a crowd."
Sharpe made her Australian debut in the under 17s in March 2007 at the world cup qualifiers in Malaysia and has been to Young Matildas training camps.
To give herself the best shot of reaching her goal of Young Matildas selection, Sharpe is doing her HSC over two years.
"At the moment, I thought soccer is what I'm really enjoying and I found it heaps stressful with school as well," she said.
"So to have some balance I'm going to do the HSC over two years, which lets me focus on soccer so I can do all I can while I'm young and have the opportunity."
Meanwhile, Jets W-League coach Gary Phillips has his fingers crossed that his Matildas striker Katie Gill is available for tomorrow's game.
The Novocastrian flew into Sydney last night from Sweden where she has been playing with AIK FC.
Phillips was confident yesterday that Gill's clearance from AIK FC would be processed in time by Football Federation Australia for the 23-year-old to hit the Wanderers Oval pitch.
"We're hopeful that she will be cleared in time to play, with England it's overnight but the rest of Europe takes a couple of days," Phillips said.
Gill's experience and goal-scoring prowess will be desperately needed for the young Jets to complement their other Matildas Cheryl Salisbury, Joey Peters and Amber Neilson.
AAP reports: Australia's leading female players believe the new national soccer competition could help catapult the Matildas into the women's international elite.
The W-League starts today as an eight-team competition featuring all seven Australian-based A-League clubs, plus Canberra United.
Played over three months, the W-League will be the first national competition since the Women's National Soccer League was discontinued in December 2004.
Despite the absence of regular domestic competition, the Matildas have excelled over the past four years, reaching the quarter-finals of last year's FIFA Women's World Cup, and with it an all-time high world ranking of 12.
"The establishment of the league could be what ultimately helps take the Matildas to the next level," Matildas skipper Salisbury said.
"Looking back at last year's World Cup, who knows what could have happened had the players had that extra experience and edge that comes with playing week-in, week-out in a competitive environment."
The league will start with Perth hosting Sydney today. The match which will be shown on ABC1.
