LOCAL footballer Annabelle Shelton has received the fantastic opportunity to play an important role at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The 14-year-old was selected to be part of the ball crew for multiple games at the World Cup.

Tournament sponsor Adidas and Rebel Sport put out a call for interested young footballers across the nation to become part of their ball crew for multiple games across the month-long tournament.

Applicants were required to write a piece about their footballing experience and why they should be a part of the ball crew.

Annabelle said she had made the difficult decision to forego buying tickets to the World Cup in order to tour the UK in April of this year with the Australian 14s futsal team.

She recently attended a training session in Sydney to receive her uniform and run through the important rules and expectations of the crew at such a high-profile event.

Her first game was on Tuesday, 25 July, when Colombia took on South Korea, and her second game will be France vs Panama on Wednesday, 2 August, then the 6th vs 8th game, with a possibility of being involved in the final on Sunday, 20 August.

Her mother Simone said her daughter could not wait to experience the excitement of the World Cup.

“It’s nice to have a bit of a local touch to the biggest women’s sporting event in the world,” she said.

“She says she’s most excited to experience the crowd noise and how the stadium feels at such a big event.

“She hopes it will help her be ready when it is her turn one day.

“Her favourite players are Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler who are both forwards like her.

“Her main goal she is working towards is to play professional football in the future,” said Simone.

Shelton plays for the Bellingen Bats 16s team, and is a member of the 2023 Far Northern NSW futsal team and is training as a part of North Coast Football’s Talented Female Football Program.

By Aiden BURGESS