Kiarra Lewis could have been stepping onto the field at the Northern NSW Football Women's State Cup next week with defending champions Maitland.
Instead she will represent the inaugural Northern NSW Football Indigenous team at the July 8-10 tournament, and the 22-year-old Magpies striker could not feel prouder.
Lewis is among 12 players named in the Indigenous team.
"It was great to see that they were doing something and having somewhere for us to represent our culture," Lewis said.
"It's not something I've had the opportunity to do before. There is a lot of excitement around it. To feel that achievement to represent your culture in quite a big event like State Cup is really exciting for all of us in the team."
Lewis has Indigenous heritage through her father's family and was looking forward to exploring her cultural heritage further.
"I haven't touched on it as much as I would like and this gives us the opportunity to meet more people from our culture as well and learn more about it," Lewis said.
"I'm also looking forward to representing our culture and hopefully doing everyone proud."
A record 21 teams have entered this year's State Cup, which is being held for a fifth time and will be staged at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
The Indigenous team has been drawn into Group B with NPLW NNSW teams Charlestown Azzurri and Newcastle Olympic plus community sides Lochinvar and Kempsey.
"None of us have really played with each other and the team is a mix of experience and ages," Lewis, who is one of the more experienced players in the team, said.
"In a way we'll be learning as we go but it be good fun, and doing it for the first time with all of the other players will be pretty cool."
Peyton Hamilton-Vosilla, who also plays for Maitland, will be one of the youngest players in the team. The Kurri Kurri 15-year-old's family is from the Wiradjuri tribe.
"Being in the Indigenous team means a lot because I'm representing my culture and playing my sport as well, and I love it a lot," Hamilton-Vosilla said. "It's good to be around other people who have the same passions as you."
NNSWF Indigenous team: Ellouise Brown (Warners Bay), Jade Lee Campbell, Maddison Dean (Broadmeadow), Keeley Dawn Gardner (Coffs City United), Keyarrah Sweetwater-Delauney (Shores United), Kiarra Lewis, Peyton Hamilton-Vosilla (Maitland FC), Mia Owens (Adamstown), Natalie Casey (Tilligerry), Violet Nicholson (Northern Inland), Zara Williams (Port Macquarie United), Zoe Archer (Maitland JFC).
