Futsal-playing sisters from rural Queensland set to represent Australia

Updated 9 minutes ago

PHOTO: Kayla (left) and her sister Courtney Jackson will travel to the UK and the US to represent Australia in futsal.(ABC Western Queensland: Andrea Crothers)

Two outback Queensland sisters are set to play for Australia in a sport they picked up by chance.

Courtney Jackson, 16, and her sister Kayla, 13, are budding soccer players, but tried futsal to retain fitness during the off-season on the advice of their coach due to the similarity between the sports.

Futsal is likened to a scaled-down version of soccer, played five per side on a hard court and mainly indoors.

The sisters said they never intended to take the sport seriously and were shocked when emails notified them of their selection into the Australian squads.

"We both ran in to [tell] Mum and Dad, and they were crying," Kayla said.

"I said to mum, 'I don't know if you're crying because you're happy or because it's going to cost a lot'."

Playing for Australia does not come cheaply — it will cost the sisters about $7,000 each to tour abroad.

Courtney will embark on a 16-day trip to the US National Futsal Championships in July, while Kayla is off to the United Kingdom in April for a 19-day tour with the under-14 team.

PHOTO: Kayla and Courtney are believed to be the first two in the Paroo Shire to be selected in an Australian sporting team.(ABC Western Queensland: Andrea Crothers)

It is a massive achievement for the south-west Queensland town of Eulo, 70 kilometres west of Cunnamulla, and with a population of about 70 people.

"We've actually been told we're the first two in our shire to be selected for an Australian team," Courtney said.

"To have two sisters chosen from the same shire is pretty amazing and the amount of money the shire has put in to help us and the people in the community is amazing."

The community has rallied behind the sportswomen, from fundraising via online crowdfunding campaigns and organising raffles in the local pub.

In addition, the Paroo Shire Council has made a $1,000 contribution to both sisters.

"When people don't even know what the sport [of futsal] is they're a bit questionable about it," Courtney said.

"But they dig in and give us some money because they're just proud of us to go over there to wear the green and gold."