In the countdown to the Paris Olympics Blakehurst student Ashleigh, 12, has already experienced how an elite athlete feels as they walk into the stadium.
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Ashleigh, who is a student at Endeavour Sports High and a member of the St George FC, was selected to take part in a new video to promote the benefits of sport for the next generation of potential Olympians.
This involved taking part in a video shoot at Allianz Stadium where a group of young athletes were cheered on by their parents as they walked out onto the pitch.
Asheigh was one of nine young athletes who took part in the video which will be shown on television and on social media in the lead-up to the Olympics.
As part of this, Alllianz with the help of friends, family, Olympians, Paralympians and everyday Australians recorded a "Go Australiaaahhh!!" cheer of thousands of voices which was played as Ashleigh and other young athletes walked into the stadium.
Despite the grandstands being empty, when a goal was scored or a race finished, the young athletes heard the roar of 45,000 Australians cheering them on with 'Go Australiaahhh'.
Another big surprise for Ashleigh as she walked out into the stadium was a recorded video message by her parents, Mark and Karina telling her how proud they were of her and her sporting journey.
"I felt very surprised and heartfelt," Ashleigh said, describing her experience when she saw her parents message of support being played at Allianz Stadium.
Her parent's message and video showing her sporting journey over the years will be part of the initiative by Allianz to encourage the participation of young people in sport and foster the Olympic and Paralympic spirit.
The filming at Allianz Stadium took place on June 24 and was a pre-cursor filming day in advance of the main big event activation on July 9 that brought together over 50 children of all abilities from local grassroots teams.
Ashleigh's mum Karina said taking part in the video was a wonderful experience.
"Nine kids were given the opportunity to come to Allianz Stadium and walk out onto the pitch, hear the roar of thousands of people and experience how it feels to be an Olympic athlete," she said.
"In our personal recorded message, we spoke about Ashleigh's sporting journey over seven years of playing soccer, how far she has come and encouraged her to keep going.
"Ashleigh was the only child chosen to tell her personal story about the challenges of her sporting journey and her dreams for the future, to captain the Matildas.
"It will be shown on TV leading up to the Olympics to encourage other children to stay involved in sport."
