Canberra United defender Ellie Carpenter has been nominated for the month of December as the NAB Young Footballer of the Year for the Westfield W-League.
Cowra & District Soccer Club, where Carpenter began her footballing career, will receive a NAB Club Recognition award, containing plenty of football equipment as well as $1,000 cash.
Westfield Matilda Carpenter, 17, joins Melbourne Victory’s Kyra Cooney-Cross (November) as a nominee for the prestigious Award.
Carpenter said it was great to be nominated and to see her Junior club rewarded.
“It’s very exciting to be nominated, and it is awesome to get some recognition,” she said.
“Yeah I think it will be good for the club, they started my journey and it will be nice to see them recognised through this.”
During December 2017 Carpenter featured in all three matches for Heather Garriock’s side. While the team from the nation’s capital didn’t record a win in those outings, Carpenter was a shining light for the ACT-based squad.
Head Coach Garriock said it was no surprise to see Carpenter nominated after her performances so far.
“She has been outstanding not only for club, but for her country as well,” Garriock said.
“This is a big accolade and it is more surprising that she was not nominated already.”
The Westfield W-League NAB Young Footballer of the Year 2017/18 will be announced at the Dolan Warren Awards Night.
NAB’s Chief Marketing Officer, Andrew Knott, said he is proud to see the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award continue to identify and reward outstanding achievements of talented young footballers.
“We congratulate Ellie on her nomination and look forward to watching her development and growth on the football field in the years to come,” said Knott.
“We are also pleased to recognise Ellie’s nominated junior club, Cowra & District Soccer Club in New South Wales, and hope that our support will help the club to continue developing the game in communities across Australia.”
The overall winner of the Westfield W-League, NAB Young Footballer of the Year 2017/18 Award will receive a $10,000 personal investment portfolio, along with a NAB Private Client Manager to assist with a range of banking products and services.
“As a supporter of the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award, we are proud to play an important role in identifying and rewarding the future stars of the game. Who knows, we may even see some of the nominees in the green and gold jersey in the future,” Knott concluded.
Each month representatives from the FFA Technical Department vote on a 3-2-1 basis for the most outstanding U23 players in the Westfield W-League during that period.
