L-R: Lucy Ashcroft, Sierra Croad and Claudia Keating. Picture: Brisbane Lions

THE NEXT generation of elite women's talent will take to the stage over the next few weeks, as the 2025 Marsh AFL National Development Championships – U16 Girls get underway.

The 10 teams will be split into two pools, with each side playing two games apiece across April 6-17.

FULL FIXTURE Check out when the teams are playing and how to stream

Pool A: Brisbane Academy, Gold Coast Academy, South Australia, Vic Metro, Vic Country and Western Australia
Pool B: GWS Academy, Northern Territory, Sydney Academy and Tasmania

Lions fans can keep an eye out for Lucy Ashcroft (2027 draft), sister of Will and Levi and daughter of Marcus, while Claudia Keating (2028) is the daughter of premiership hero and former AFLW assistant coach Clark.

Teammate Sierra Croad (2027) may have a big decision to make in the future. She is eligible for Brisbane as an Academy signing, and both Hawthorn and Fremantle as a father-daughter selection, given dad Trent played at least one game for both clubs.

Other familial connections in the squads include Vic Metro's Alana D'Ambrosio (sister of Hawthorn's Massimo, 2027) Western Australia's Indiana Slocombe (sister of North Melbourne's Ella, 2028), and Gold Coast's Asia Single (sister of Lucy, 2027).

Tiama Collard kicks the ball during the Marsh AFL National Development Championships U16 Girls match between Western Australia and Gold Coast Academy at Trevor Barker Beach Oval on April 7, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

Forward pocket Tiama Collard (Western Australia), inside midfielder Matilda Lange (Tasmania) and the versatile Peggy Rock (NT) will all feature again, after being named in last year's under-16 All-Australian side as bottom-age players. Both Lange and Rock were also named MVPs for their teams.

Peggy Rock in action during the NSW Academy match between Sydney Swans Academy and Northern Territory at Blacktown International Sportspark on April 12, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

For many, the under-16 championships are players' first taste of elite football, giving them an experience of the talent pathway and building blocks around training and post-match recovery.

From here, players may graduate to the under-18 championships, which involve four games per side spread over a longer time period, and once in their 18th year, nominate for the national draft.

Selection in the under-16s doesn't guarantee selection in the under-18s, while some players have missed out on the under-16s and gone on to play AFLW.

AFLW teams don't devote quite the resources to tracking the under-16s as they do the under-18s, but they provide a nice primer to the talent coming through the pipeline in a few years' time.

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The 2022 edition of the under-16 championships saw a particularly strong Vic Country side featuring eventual AFLW players Lila Keck, Mikayla Williamson, Jess Rentsch, Amber Schutte, Chloe Adams and recent draftees Ash Centra, Lucia Painter, Sara Howley, Zoe Besanko and Lexi Gregor.

Other eventual AFLW players to have participated in that tournament include Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner, Lara Hausegger, Laura Stone, Annabel Kievit, Ella Slocombe and new faces Havana Harris, Zippy Fish, Grace Belloni, Georgie Brisbane, Claudia Wright, Taya Chambers, Kyla Forbes, Sierra Grieves, Georgia Knight, Maggie Mahony, Sienna Tallariti, Grace Martin, Charlotte Riggs, Jemma Charity, Lily Paterson, Lilly Baker, Chloe Gaunt, Nyalli Milne, Mia Salisbury, Tara Harrington and Sophie Strong.

All games of this year's championships will be livestreamed on the AFLPlay YouTube channel.