Brisbane Roar forward Thomas Waddingham has been named in the Subway Young Socceroos’ 28-man squad for a domestic training camp to be held in Western Sydney during May.
The three-day camp – based out of the Blacktown Exercise, Sports & Technology Hub – features Australian-based players not currently involved in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men Finals Series and is the first assembly for the U-20 cohort ahead of a series of activity throughout the remainder of 2024.
The camp has been built around an internal fixture, which will be an important opportunity for Morgan and his coaching staff to work directly with players prior to selecting a squad for the Young Socceroos’ tour of South America for the June FIFA Men’s International Window.
The Young Socceroos are also set to compete in the AFF U-19 Youth Championship in July, along with activity scheduled for the September FIFA Men’s International Window before AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025™ Qualifiers later that same month.
Waddingham receives the call-up after finding the back of the net seven times in his debut A-League season, finishing as Roar’s equal highest goal scorer for 2023/24 alongside Henry Hore and Jay O’Shea.
The forward, who also scored four times on the Roar’s run to the Australia Cup final finished just one behind Nestory Irankunda, who set a record as the highest scoring teenager in a single A-League season.
Subway Young Socceroos’ Head Coach, Trevor Morgan said the camp would provide a platform for players to foster a strong squad culture and build their understanding of key playing style principles.
“This is the beginning of a busy schedule of activity and it’s important we lay the groundwork now on some key elements of our program,” Morgan said.
“Players selected will get the opportunity to show what they can bring to the squad in a competitive, internal match which will be valuable in building connections on the pitch.
“We identified this period at the end of the domestic season as the best opportunity to assemble players from this age group currently plying their trade in the A-League Men. We’ve seen many of these boys begin to get regular minutes in senior football and it’s exciting to see them continue to develop – their involvement in the national team pathway is an extension of that.
“There are also several eligible players in European leagues, so we’re really pleased with the depth of players we have available in this cycle.
“This age group had some great performances in Europe last year as we looked to build their confidence and international experience, now begins an exciting period for the Young Socceroos,” concluded Morgan.
