Primary student chosen to represent Australia

Woy Woy South Public School student Harry Beaton, 10, has been chosen to represent Australia in futsal, a form of indoor soccer, in Japan in October.

Harry has been playing outdoor soccer since he was five years old, first with Umina United and then with the Central Coast Mariners' development program in 2015 and 2016.

He and some under-10 teammates last year decided to play futsal and it was not long before they were representing the region.

The team started out in the Central Coast futsal competition last year and were then chosen to represent the Central Coast and Hunter in January at an Australian tournament where the under-10s made the semi-finals.

"There were scouts at that tournament and they offered Harry a position in the Australian team to tour Japan," said Harry's mother, Ms Kira Beaton.

Two other Peninsula residents, Liesl Colins, who attends the International Football School at Kariong, and Brisbane Water Secondary College student Ryan Brown will compete in the under-13 age division.

The tour will be based in Nagasaki and will be playing against regional Japanese sides.

All three Peninsula representatives have joined forces to raise funds to pay for the trip as fustal is not a recognised or funded sport.

So far they have set up a crowd-funding site and have organised a fundraising event at the Gosford greyhounds in May.

Interview, 30 Mar 2017

Kira Beaton, Umina