A STRONG performance with New South Wales in Queensland has secured Port Macquarie teenager Hannah Jones her place in the Australian Schoolgirls football side.
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Jones and the team will head to the United States in March next year for a two-week tour where they will play at the Dallas International Girls Cup.
That will be followed by a week of friendly matches against teams from throughout Orlando.
The side is dominated by New South Wales players after their impressive performance at the national titles two weeks ago.
"We played five games over the course of the week and selectors watched every game and made a decision at the end of the week on the side," Jones said.
Jones admitted it was due to her positive distribution of the ball and ability to set up play from the midfield that were one of the keys to her selection.
"I move the ball pretty well, but I'm not one of those individual players that can dribble through everyone, I switch the play," she said.
The 17-year-old St Columba Anglican School student has previously also played with the Junior Matildas in 2017.
The experience she gained from playing at that standard helped her take her own game to a whole new level.
"Playing with the Junior Matildas taught me so many new things," she said.
"The competition was so much stronger than anything I'd played before and I was training with girls that were so talented and I got better from that experience."
The Australian Schoolgirls team is the next step below selection in teams such as the Junior Matildas, but Jones said it would still continue to help her development.
"It's not as strong as the Junior Matildas team I was part of in 2017 but it's still a team with strong girls and gives you different people to play with," she said.
"The Junior Matildas are probably one step higher than this because this team is through the schools system."
When asked what the benefits were from making yet another representative side, Jones was matter-of-fact.
"It's another good experience playing at that level and it adds to your resume," she said.
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