Rolling with the Dream Team

Imagine you’re a passionate primary school aged football player. Now picture the excitement you’d feel seeing your face splashed across a popular breakfast cereal every time you enter the supermarket with your parents. Think about the thrill of then winning a money-can’t-buy experience at the Hyundai A-League Grand Final, which sees you playing on the pitch at half time and presenting the winners with their medals at the end of the match. You then go on to become a TV football commentator, like the ones you watch on Fox Sports when your favourite A League team is playing.

Welcome to the world of the ALDI MiniRoos Dream Team!

As part of the ALDI MiniRoos program and a nationwide search, four football mad kids have been given the unique honour of being named the ALDI MiniRoos Dream Team and the face of ALDI’s Wheat Biscuits. Designed for all abilities, the ALDI MiniRoos is Football Federation of Australia’s (FFA) junior football program for kids aged 4-11 years.

Chosen from hundreds of video entries, the four members of the newly formed ‘Dream Team’ are Griffin Macfarlane (6), Jirelle Boutros (9), Claire Corbett (7) and Jarrah Longbottom (8). The chosen four all share an incredible passion for football and are getting a true taste of sports stardom. “I screamed with excitement when I found out I was chosen,” says Claire. “I love playing football and being an ALDI MiniRoo because it’s so much fun. I can make new friends and practise my football skills every week. Now all of my team can see me whenever they eat their breakfast!”

We caught up with Claire and the rest of the ALDI MiniRoos Dream Team to get to know these special young football players a little better.

My name is… Griffin Macfarlane
My age is… 6
I started playing football… as soon as I could walk
The positions I play are… striker and midfielder
I love playing football… because I feel very excited when I am playing and it feels great to dribble and kick the ball.
What I love most about my team is… doing great passes and celebrating goals together.
My favourite football team is… Sydney FC because they set goals up really well and make the best passes
The amount of Wheat Biscuits I’d eat for breakfast is… two
The word I’d use to best describe myself is… awesomeness

My name is… Claire Corbett
My age is… 7
The positions I play are… midfielder or right back
Since I started playing football I’ve scored… lots and lots of goals
I love playing football… because it is fun, it gives you exercise and I get to use my skills
My favourite football team is… The Matildas because it has my favourite player, Sam Kerr.
The amount of Wheat Biscuits I’d eat for breakfast is… 2
The word I’d use to best describe myself is… cool

My name is… Jirelle Boutros
My age is… 9
I’ve been playing football for… 2 years
The positions I play are… striker and midfielder
When people ask me about football I tell them… it’s a good sport for every single kid and every single kid should have a go at it
What I love most about my team is that… they all play fair, we take turns in our positions and they’re all friendly and we have fun playing
My favourite football team is… Western Sydney Wanderers
The amount of Wheat Biscuits I’d eat for breakfast is… 2
The word I’d use to best describe myself is… sporty

My name is… Jarrah Longbottom
My age is… 8
I’ve been playing football since… I was 6
The positions I play are… Right back
I love playing football… because it’s a really fun game and you can score from all different angles
What I love most about my team is that… they are all my friends and they pass the ball to me rather than just being hogs
My favourite football team is… Sydney FC because they are very skilful and I like how fast they play
The amount of Wheat Biscuits I’d eat for breakfast is… 2 or 3
The word I’d use to best describe myself is… deadly

We hope the Dream Team will help inspire even more kids to achieve their sporting dreams, and grow to become the next generation of Caltex Socceroos or Westfield Matildas!