Sisters set for Gothia

Baldivis twins Tiahna and Madelyn Atkins, 15, have been selected to compete in an international soccer competition and are part of the only female team from Australia to head over.

The girls train regularly with the Northern Redbacks Women’s Soccer Club, the only all-female soccer club in WA.

They were recently selected to play in the Gothia Youth World Cup, held in Gothenburg Sweden in the under-16 age group.

The competition involves 75 countries and 36,212 athletes across 1686 teams, with 88 teams in the under-16 age group alone.

Tiahna competed last year and said her team had made it through to the quarterfinals and played other teams from Sweden, America and Norway.

“You never know which teams you will end up playing, they draw them out randomly at the competition,” she said.

“We did training sessions and then the games started after that, we played four games and we did practice games as well.

“We also did drills the other teams usually did at training in the practice games, which was really interesting.”

Last year Madelyn took a break from soccer, but decided she wanted to get back into it this year and has come back in full force.

“Tiahna was still playing and I decided I wanted to go back to it because I missed it a lot,” she said.

“I got back into it and then trialled for the team and made it in.”

The pair will make up two out of the 16 team members and Tiahna said she was very excited her sister would be travelling and competing with her this year.

Both girls said the best part about playing soccer was working as a team and making new friends, as well as being able to rely on fellow teammates during games.

The competition will run from July 12 to 18.