When Charley Schwencke went down to The Home of the Matildas for a week-long assessment, she was among a massive cohort of 400 players.
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Her mum Sheree says only nine were scouted further for overseas opportunities.
And Charley was one of them.
“We didn't hear anything for a little while and we thought, ‘Okay, maybe nothing's happened from that’,” Sheree said.
“Charley was okay with it, she just wanted to get a profile from the scouts.
“Then all of a sudden we got a phone call to have a meeting and discuss the Spain trip.”
This junior soccer star plans to make her way to the Iberian Peninsula in the new year — playing in a country where the sport is more a religion than a fun pastime.
The club taking an interest in the Border Raider is CF Pozuelo, based in Madrid, with the three-month training opportunity made possible through the Elite Football Academy.
She was first invited to the one-week camp in Bundoora, the intention simply to have her game assessed.
Based on the feedback, Echuca-Moama might have a pretty special talent in the making.
“We had one meeting and then they invited us back for a second,” Sheree said.
“They asked her how she thought she went and she just said, ‘Yeah, pretty good’.
“They showed her profile and scorecard and she thought it was pretty good, at least average because she had scores of fives and sixes.
“But then they said to her, ‘Well actually, you did better than average. We don't score fives and sixes normally, it’s usually only around twos and threes, so you've done exceptionally well.
“Charley had this big grin, but she was trying to keep her composure and not smile because she was really excited.”
But there’s more.
Sheree said Charley was told by the academy’s chief executive — who wanted to meet her — he hadn’t seen a player for some time with such an ability to keep close control of the ball and continue to drive it forward.
The high praise for a young soccer player is quite significant, especially in a town where most juniors are stars in sports such as football or netball.
We might start calling Schwencke Echuca-Moama’s Sam Kerr or Mary Fowler (or Alyssa Thompson or Cole Palmer, Charley’s two favourite players) if other youngsters become inspired by her journey.
Sheree says her daughter is already having this trailblazing effect.
“Many members of the younger community look up to her,” she said.
“And the older ones say, ‘We love coming to watch her play, she's such a kind, caring person and we really love her’.
“I suppose that also showed at the Campaspe Youth Awards when she won for leadership and community impact.”
Schwencke is no stranger to accolades or recognition.
She’s been to the US previously with the Football Victoria Academy, was captain of the Bendigo representative team, an under-12 best-and-fairest and recently earned selection into Bendigo City’s under-15s.
You don’t have such a rise without being obsessed to get better, which is easy for Schwencke, who makes no secret of her intention to have a professional career.
And the world of European soccer is as cut-throat as it is competitive — though Charley seems to already be honing the required mentality.
Sheree added Charley, still only 14, knows she’ll have to sacrifice her social life.
Then there’s all the work she’s doing away from the pitch to enhance her output on it.
“She goes to the gym when she can't train,” Sheree said.
“She's usually at Jack Eddy’s five or six days a week anyway.
“But when she doesn't have normal training or the one-on-one sessions she has with Paige Pinson (Border Raiders women’s coach) she'll go to the gym or for a long-distance run.
“And she does a bit of work at home, out in the backyard with the ball and net.
“She's also gotten right into her nutrition this year, eating proteins, chicken, rice, all of those things and not sugars or other crap.
“She's really keen to make this her job in the future.”
Like any young athlete taking a chance on themselves, there’s often significant costs associated with pursuing a dream.
Training at the Spanish academy costs about $14,000 (plus flights), which is why the Border Raiders encouraged community assistance on Facebook earlier this week.
Sheree said donations had been received already, from the Echuca Workers and also one generous individual, whose support equated to $1,000.
The Schwenckes will also put on a raffle at the Border Raiders’ end of season presentations to raise more funds for Charley’s pursuit of excellence — fitting on a night where excellence is celebrated.
So if supporting a local athlete represent Echuca-Moama internationally sounds like you, reach out to the club.
Who knows, there’s a long way to go for Charley, but one day you might switch on your TV and see her playing in the green and gold.