WAGGA soccer prodigy Jada Mathyssen-Whyman is charging towards a call-up to the Matildas squad, and she’s only 13 years old.

Mathyssen-Whyman has been invited to train with the W-League’s Sydney FC and will be promoted to the club’s third goalkeeper by October.

From there, she will be just one tier down from representing Australia at the highest level.

“That’s my goal, I really want to play with the Matildas,” Mathyssen-Whyman said.

It’s been a busy couple of years for the young talent, who has gone from running around with Tolland juniors to playing alongside some of Australia’s best.

The journey started when she was noticed by FFA scouts during last year’s National Youth Championships and she was subsequently picked in the national under 14 All Stars team.

Since then she has been travelling to Canberra to receive expert tuition from national coaches and has even scored one-on-one sessions with Matildas keeper Melissa Barbieri.

She linked up with Sydney club Macarthur Rams this season and, through a string of injuries to other players, was soon called on to keep goals at the Premier League level.

She now makes the trip to Sydney every weekend after fulfilling her commitments with Tolland.

“There’s actually three Matildas players in my team in Sydney,” Mathyssen-Whyman said. 

“They have all been giving me advice, it’s really helped.”

The Rams coach, by coincidence, also coaches at Sydney FC and made sure to secure her services for next W-League season despite her age.

Mathyssen-Whyman says her story could have been very different, after originally taking an interest in Australian football and softball.

“My pop told me I couldn’t really go anywhere in those sports, and said I should try soccer instead,” she said.

“Playing (Australian football) probably helped with my keeping.”

Her mother, Vanessa Whyman, believes Jada is close to being picked to represent Australia.

“She has trialled for the under 17s Matildas squad a couple of times and they have told us to keep her passport ready,” Whyman said.

“She is pretty confident.

“She knows if she works hard and is fully committed she can make it.”

Mathyssen-Whyman travelled to Coffs Harbour yesterday, where she will represent NSW Country at the National Youth Championships again this week.

Whyman said the family is on the lookout for any local sponsors to help cover the cost of travelling each week.