COLTS United striker Liz Watkins has been a regular in state soccer squads in recent years - now she's back in Victorian colours taking on a different role.
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The teenager has been named assistant coach of School Sport Victoria's 19-and-under team that will contest the national carnival in August.
It is the very team she played for in 2012 then captained last year while completing her VCE at Bendigo Senior Secondary College.
Now studying for a Bachelor of Graphic Design and Photography at La Trobe University and working in before-school care at Specimen Hill Primary, Watkins is keen to continue her involvement with the elite schoolgirl soccer side.
"I have so much passion for the sport and I've always been a leader and I thought it would be good for the girls to have someone of a younger age to relate to," she says of her decision to apply for the coaching position.
"It's always good to get feedback and it's also good to have a variety of opinions about the way you play - and I'm very happy to help out."
Watkins, 19, said Team Vic would be a strong contender at the School Sport Australia championships in Glenwood, New South Wales.
"We've got probably our best chance in a couple of years," she said.
"Victoria finished third two years ago and I'm looking to push the girls to get ahead of NSW - that's always a good rivalry."
Last year Watkins also competed in the Adobe Certified Associate World Championships in the US, showing her skills with the Photoshop software package.
