The Championships were held across two weekends in April and May. 

A Highlands under-16 girls side was entered in the competition.

It was the first time in several years the Highlands under-16s girls took part in the championships. 

The Highlands competed against teams from Shoalhaven, Southern Tablelands, Eurobodalla and Far South Coast. 

The first weekend of the championships was hosted by Goulburn on April 29 and 30. 

Highlands coach Nick D’Amore said the girls put on a good display of football on the first weekend of the championships. 

“They went okay, the girls don’t play together every week so they put on a good show considering that,” he said. 

The Highlands girls had the chance to improve on their first round performances at Nowra on May 13 and 14. 

And improve they did. 

D’Amore praised the girls for the way their performed on the second weekend of competition. 

“The goal was to improve by the second weekend and they were competitive,” he said. 

D’Amore said the girls learnt a lot about the game and were able to improve on a wide variety of their skills.

The Highlands girls had a young team, with only two out of the 14 girls turning 16 this year.

The girls were selected based off a trial camp held in February.  

The 14 squad members were selected from Moss Vale, Robertson and Mittagong Highlands Soccer Association teams, as well as Chevalier College school teams. 

D’Amore said India Crowe Dibella from Mittagong was one of the standout performers for the Highlands throughout the championship competition.

“She played in numerous positions and she gained an understanding of different roles within the team,” he said. 

However, he said he was prod of each players’ performance. 

‘It was a really strong team effort and they all worked well together,” he said. 

The girls will have a few weeks break before heading back into training camps. 

As well as working on their skills, players will also have discussions with coaches and former players about player pathways and education pathways within the sport. 

The team will play together again in the coming months at the Football NSW Champion of Champions competition.