Elisha Wild joins Canberra United Academy, dad Justin Wild to move interstate with her

The 15-year-old has joined Canberra United Academy, moving on from Albury Hotspurs and enrolling at a new school in the nation's capital.

Wild will be joined in the ACT by dad Justin, who has relinquished his role as coach of the Hotspurs senior women's team and will work remotely from Canberra in 2023 to support his daughter's new venture.

"It's not a small decision but we'd do it for any of our kids," Justin said.

"If they really want to do something, we'll try to help them and I guess we're in a fortunate enough position that it's all worked out.

"It's going to take a bit of juggling.

"The two boys are doing Year 12 next year and it would be unfair to relocate them so we've decided to split a bit next year.

"Not being that far, a three-hour drive, we'll be able to meet up very regularly and we can duck home Friday night or whatever, so it's not that dramatic.

"But we've decided, for the next 12 months, we'll be in two houses and we'll see how it goes."

Elisha finished joint runner-up in the Star Player vote count this year after a breakout season for Hotspurs in the Albury-Wodonga Football Association.

She scored 31 time during the home-and-away season, including seven hat-tricks, and was named best on ground in the cup final against Albury United.

But the ultimate goal has always been bigger and the environment at Canberra United, training four nights a week, will give her every chance to maximise that potential.

"I want to see how I go playing against a high level every week and training at a high intensity every session, to see if I can actually get far," Elisha said.

"I'm really excited because I'll get to play against all of the really good girls in Canberra.

"I feel like I'm going to improve a fair bit and I'm excited to make new friends.

"At the start, I was very much against it and I didn't want to move but at the last trial, the coach gave the whole team a big chat about what the expectations are for next year and how it's going to help us.

"What he said changed my mind.

"Even though they play in the NPL team on the weekend, they're focusing more on developing the players and making them better than trying to win the league.

"It's about training to make us better rather than training to make us win and it just sounded really good."

Three of the four weekly sessions will be on the pitch, with the fourth an alternative like swimming or yoga.

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While Justin has enjoyed coaching Elisha at Hotspurs, he realised she needed something extra to avoid being left behind.

"Elisha was playing in a Talent ID game in Sydney and eight of the girls in there were in the under-15 Matildas team," he said.

"It was a high level, a really tough game and although Elisha matched it with them, I did pick up a couple of things she was lacking.

"To be honest, it was something you probably can't coach unless they're playing at a regular high intensity and high level, which unfortunately, in this region, doesn't happen every week.

"That was the first twig in my head that the time to do something different was coming.

"Elisha's main concern was leaving her Hotspurs friends and her school friends.

"For us, it's a big financial commitment; we've got another place to rent now and there's a lot more travel with the price of fuel so it's going to really be tight on the budget.

"But it's a great opportunity.

"A lot of those girls she's been playing with in Sydney, at those ID games, will be playing at higher levels whether it's Matildas or A-League Women and I would have hated for Elisha to get a couple of years down the track and think 'What if I had done that? That could have been me.'

"There's no guarantees in life and it's a very small percentage who actually make it but at least this way, she'll know."

Elisha is working through a nine-week fitness program before she and Justin relocate in late January.

"I've played with the Hotspurs girls since I was three or four so it is sad," she said.

"Trainings here are like a social gathering as well but our season in Canberra starts a bit later so I'll be back to watch a few games."

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