‘Football factory’ high school producing Aussie World Cup stars

One Western Sydney high school is shaping up as a soccer star factory, producing a remarkable stream of elite players for the Matildas and Socceroos.

Westfields Sports High School in Fairfield West has turned out a long line of current and former international footballers, including three in the current Socceroos World Cup squad: goalkeeper and captain Maty Ryan, centre-back Milos Degenek and goalkeeper Patrick Beach.

Asked how Westfields has produced so many elite footballers, deputy principal David Barrett credited exceptional coaches and a program that balances academic rigour with a long-term approach to sporting development.

“We’re not a club. We’re here for the long haul,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“It’s not about getting quick results. It’s about developing them in a holistic way over a long period of time and watching them grow.

“School is a pure environment for them to learn. They don’t have the outside pressures of club football. They can just come into school and they get top quality coaching and it’s just a great environment for them to flourish.”

Mr Barrett, who played almost 400 games in the National Soccer League with clubs including Sydney Olympic, started teaching at Westfield Sports in 1991 and has helped the school develop a steady stream of international players.

The specialist sports school has produced players for every Socceroos World Cup squad since the 2006 tournament, with Australia legend Harry Kewell one of the nine Westfields alumni* to feature in football’s premier men’s tournament.

Starting in the game against Türkiye on Sunday, Patrick Beach is the newest former student to join that list, after a dream World Cup debut in which he made several crucial saves to help Australia to a 2-0 win in a standout performance.

Westfields Sports High School’s director of football Kory Babington said it was “great to watch” Beach excel on the world stage, saying the goalkeeper was a driven former student.

“Patrick was a very committed student,” Mr Babington told the Telegraph. “He was only with us the last couple of years of his school but he was very fit, very keen to learn (and) very committed to his gym and his football program in school.”

“He didn’t have it all his own way … his resilience* and mental fortitude* has seen him achieve this great performance.”

Fellow goalkeeper and current Socceroos captain Maty Ryan also attended Westfields Sports.

“Maty Ryan was a strong character,” Mr Barrett said. “He was well liked by his teachers and his peers, always had a smile on his face and was just extremely committed.

“(He) often didn’t have things easy in life himself, so to see him growing to be the footballer he is has been fantastic – but also to see him develop as a leader.”

Along with the men’s team, Westfields Sports has also produced several Matildas stars including Ellie Carpenter, Alanna Kennedy and Kyra Cooney-Cross.

Westfields Sports old boy and Champions League winner Harry Kewell said the school allowed students to develop both on and off the pitch.

“Westfields was a great school for me. I got to do my studies, but most importantly, I got to do my football,” he told the Telegraph.

“It was an opportunity for me to concentrate on every part of my life where I wanted to be great at.”

Kewell was impressed with fellow Westfields alumnus Patrick Beach after his dream World Cup debut against Turkey.

“Patrick last night, wow, what a performance,” he said. “For me, he was my man of the match.

“There were a couple of people saying he looked a little bit nervous. But for me he looked perfect and strong.

“It’s one game and now he has to back it up. He can take that confidence, like the whole team should, and go through to the next game.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

• alumni: men and women who have completed their studies at a particular school, college or university
• resilience: the ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened
• fortitude: strength and firmness of mind, resolute endurance

EXTRA READING

Socceroos’ dream World Cup source

Unknown player to overnight star

Aussie World Cup ban overturned

QUICK QUIZ

1. Which Socceroos in the current squad are alumni of the Westfields school?
2. Who are the players in the Matildas squad who also attended the school?
3. Which Champions League winner also graduated from there?
4. What was the final score in Australia’s opening game against Türkiye?
5. According to director of football Mr Babington, what qualities helped Patrick Beach get to his World Cup debut?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Pathway to success
Create a timeline to achieve your own personal goal. It doesn’t have to be sport-related, just a goal you’d like to work towards achieving as an adult.

The timeline should start at the age or year level you are in now, and progress until you are an adult.

In your timeline, include short-term goals, skills to learn and people who can help.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What are some of the challenges Patrick Beach and Maty Ryan may have faced and how do you think they overcame them?

How do you think the past Westfields Sports High school students showed resilience and commitment at school as described by their teachers?

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Walking in their shoes
The Socceroos who have headed over to the World Cup have been training tirelessly to represent Australia. Imagine how they must feel as their dreams of competing in the FIFA World Cup come true. It’s time to walk in their shoes and imagine what they must be thinking and feeling. Write a descriptive piece recounting your experiences. You may like to include: training in your chosen sport; being selected for the national team; travelling to an exciting destination; life on the road and the moments before, during and after your event.