Only two years into playing the sport, the 13-year-old already has a best-and-fairest accolade under her belt and a place in the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League’s representative side.
Now, the Border Raiders FC star is set to expand her soccer horizons, selected to feature in the Orange County Tournament of Champions in California in December.
Charley’s family applied for the opportunity, with selectors performing an interview and reviewing video footage before admitting her to the competition.
The 10-day experience, for boys and girls under-7 to under-15 features hundreds of teams, from across the US, Canada and Australia with matches and additional opportunities.
“The girls (in her squad) are from all over Australia, so they'll meet up over there and have three or four days of training and get to know each other,” Charley’s mum Sheree said.
“They'll play the tournament and then there will be a couple of days towards the end where they just do a bit of sightseeing, tour colleges and things like that because there are lots of scholarships and opportunities for education over there.”
Charley, who was playing football as a junior, took up soccer in the under-12s last year to be part of an all-girls team and immediately fell in love with the sport.
“She's never without the ball,” Sheree said.
“She always seems to have the ball, kicking it around the house, and I'm like ‘stop doing that, you're going to break something’.”
Playing on the wing, Charley has contributed seven goals this season to the Border Raiders’ under-14 girls side, which finished third on the ladder and is preparing for a Supercup finals campaign beginning this weekend.
The special overseas opportunity does come at significant cost and the Schwencke family has set up a GoFundMe to help with the financial impact of the trip.
Local organisations have stepped up to support Charley’s journey, including her former primary school Echuca East, current school Moama Anglican Grammar and Border Raiders FC.
Women’s coach Paige Pinson, who herself played college soccer in the US, said the club was fully behind Charley.
“Charley has been dedicated and has worked very hard,” she said.
“It is fantastic to see such a great young player get the recognition and opportunities she has worked for.
“I am very excited about her trip and the opportunity she has earned.
“The club is thrilled to see the younger generations of talent coming to the surface and hope the community help Charley achieve her dream.”
The GoFundMe can be found at https://tinyurl.com/3mdr52dr
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