Goalkeeper Layla Adams has played plenty of big football matches in her young career, but next month she’ll lace up for her most important yet.
The Bond University Bachelor of Project Management student has been selected in the Queensland Women’s state team for an October 2 clash with Brisbane Roar on the Sunshine Coast.
The match is scheduled two weeks ahead of Brisbane’s A-League opener, providing the perfect fitness test for Roar players while for Adams and her Queensland teammates, it’s a chance to prove themselves in front of key talent scouts.
“Brisbane Roar is the only team in Queensland, so everyone is fighting to play for them,” Adams said.
“To get to prove yourself against those players and show people, ‘I’m fighting for this, I’m working for this, it’s where I want to be,’ is such an incredible opportunity.
“The physicality and intensity goes to a whole other level in professional football.
“There’s a team to do the meal plans, take your weight to make sure you’re drinking enough water and doing video analysis every day.
“NPL is a step down from that.
“You’re putting in the extra hours in the gym and preparing all your meals, but it’s all on you.”
Adams will begin preparing with the Queensland squad when the NPL season wraps up next week.
While her Gold Coast United team missed finals this year, Adams has kept her skills sharp and fitness high with the Crusaders Futsal Club.
Futsal was where Adams’ love of the world game began, and she still relishes the unique challenges of the modified format.
“Playing futsal through the off-season and pre-season allows me to keep my skills up and apply them to a slightly different game,” Adams said.
“The main difference is the size of the pitch – in futsal, you’re playing in a space the size of a netball court and there are five players on each team instead of 11 which makes it a much faster game.
“In soccer, you can take your time and it’s more strategic, whereas in futsal, it’s so intense with quick movements.
“As a goalkeeper, you could go 15 minutes in a football game without touching the ball, whereas in futsal there’s no stopping at all.
“The ball is harder, heavier and doesn’t bounce much so getting hit with it at close distance is not fun … I think you need to have a little bit of crazy in you to be a goalkeeper.”
October is shaping as a defining month for Adams, who will also attend the Football Queensland Gala after earning nominations for both NPL Goalkeeper of the Year and Young Player of the Year.