THIRTEEN of the South Coast's top up and coming football talents will go on a trip of a lifetime next month, after being selected as part of Australia's Ultimate Fiji Soccer Cup contingent.
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Shoalhaven United's Denzel Atkinson, Nathan Beattie, Ashton Beattie, Jack Hopkins, Cameron Luton, Nicholas Rayes and Jake Young are all part of the boys' development (under 12s) squad, while Bears' Jamie Beattie and Southern Branch's Timothy Hopkins headline the boys junior (under 14s) team.
Southern's Riley Tozer is the South Coast's lone representative in the boys' youth (under 15s) squad, while Milton-Ulladulla's Charlotte Knox and Southern's Zarah McCarthy have been picked in the girls' youth (under 16s) and girls' senior (under 19s) teams respectively.
Rounding out the South Coast contingent is Nowra-product Zoe Anderson, who will make her fifth appearance in Fiji when she plays for the youth women's team.
The 2019 tournament, which will run from December 1-7, will see more than 500 players and supporters, from Australia and New Zealand, head to Fiji - marking the 10-year anniversary of the competition.
During their time visiting Ba, Nadi and Lautoka, all players will get the chance to play on the international stage, while experiencing the culture of Fiji.
"The Ultimate Fiji Soccer Cup is an opportunity for Australian and New Zealand kids to go on the international stage and take on Fiji's best," Ultimate Fiji Soccer Cup tournament director and founder, Bruce Tilt said.
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"Fiji is preparing for under 17 and under 20 World Cups in the boys and they use this [tournament] as an interim program to look at their talent.
"As for the girls, they have a lot of new and emerging players and their coaches want to see how they perform against international opposition.
"Beyond soccer, this is an opportunity for Australian and New Zealand kids to be with Fijian locals and learn about the culture and history of Fiji.
"The Australian kids come from many diverse backgrounds from across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia and they will learn a lot from meeting new players and discussing their own environment.
"It will be the 10th anniversary of the Ultimate Fiji Soccer Cup and I am proud to have seen it grow to the point where there will be over 500 players and supporters flying into Fiji to play, learn and have fun."
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Fiji soccer has experienced a relative boom in the last 10 years with the nation reaching the men's 2015 under 20 World Cup, the men's 2016 Olympics and a second-place finish in the 2018 Oceania Women's Cup.
Internationals including Kishan Sami (13 caps) and Koleta Likuculacula (18 caps) have featured in previous editions of the tournament.