The QBE Sydney Swans Academy U16 girls will commence their 2023 National Development Championships this Tuesday on the Gold Coast.

For the first time, the AFL National Development Championships – U16 Girls will be played as an interstate carnival, with matches scheduled across four states.
 
The competition will feature 10 teams, who will each play two matches. The teams compete in two pools with the Swans Academy in Pool B.
 
Pool A will feature South Australia, Victoria Country, Victoria Metro and Western Australia.
 
Pool B will comprise Brisbane Lions Academy, Gold Coast SUNS Academy, GWS GIANTS Academy, Northern Territory, QBE Sydney Swans Academy and Tasmania.
 
The teams that finish top of the standings for each pool will be crowned title winners. If teams finish equal on points, the team with the higher percentage will be awarded the title.
 
The AFL National Championships and AFL National Development Championships are the highest level of state and territory representative football, as part of the AFL’s Talent Pathway Program. The competitions will feature the most talented footballers from across Australia who are the next generation of stars in the game.

QBE Sydney Swans Academy coach Bron Gulden says the Swans girls are looking forward to challenging themselves against some of the country's best players in their age group and have trained hard in preparation for the matches agains the Gold Coast Suns and the GIANTS Academy.

"After a tough loss (against the Lions) a couple of weeks ago, our girls have worked hard at training and shown a thirst for improvement, and we are looking to continue their development throughout the series," Gulden said.

"With a long term outlook to give our girls every opportunity to play at a high level, they continue to display the attributes and work ethic required and these championships will be the beginning of that pathway."

Gulden said Lucy Finn and Maddy Quinn should lead the way in the ruck and the inclusion of Keira Yerbury in the middle will help deliver the ball to the Swans forward line.

The match kicks off at 10am at Bond University on Tuesday April 11th. Teams can be found HERE.

 All matches of the championships will be live streamed. Please click here to access the live streams and squad lists.