Hi, I'm Sonny. I am 8 years old and have had a football attached to my feet pretty much everywhere I go from the time I could walk. I began my grassroots football playing in the u6s at age 4 and at age 5 at the start of 2024, made the u8s High Performance team with a local Cairns football academy.

I currently play for Marlin Coast Rangers Football Club, in an under 8s team, and regularly play up in the u9s whenever teams are short a player. I also train weekly with the CB Football Academy. 

Playing for CB Football Academy at the annual Castle Hill Cup hosted by the Jeremy Brockie Football Academy in July, I was awarded the Jeremy Brockie MVP of the game award when competing against the hosting academy.

Most recently, I led my Yorkeys Knob State School u8s team to win the FNQ School Cup and earned the Most Valuable Player Award in the u8s boys age division. 

I have just been offered an opportunity of a lifetime, along with a number of players from 2 local Cairns football academies, namely The Football Academy and CB Football Academy, to attend 5 days of training with one of the historic powerhouses of European football, Athletico Madrid.

Attending players will receive 3 training sessions a day over 5 five days with Athletico Madrid’s EUFA qualified youth development coaches, using Spanish training methodologies at Atletico Madrid’s Academy Campus, after which I will be able to participate in the Torrevieja International Cup.

The Torrevieja International Cup is a youth football tournament that brings together youth clubs from around the world. This will include 4 days of football competition against some of the best youth academies from Europe and beyond.

This experience will not only allow me to train with a top level European academy, but will also allow me to complete against players from around the world, providing me with an experience I will remember and cherish for ever.

All donations will go to payment of fees, travel expenses and any required gear. Any donations received above and beyond what is required to attend this opportunity will go towards payment of future football academy fees, additional training opportunities and any travelling costs associated to future academy tournaments that may be scheduled in 2027.