Two teenagers from Canberra are set to follow in the footsteps of Socceroos Tom Rogic after being invited to train with Scottish giants Celtic FC.
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Canberra Olympic forward Sebastian Woods and Belconnen United's Jacob Garner will embark on a two-week training and development trip to Lennoxtown for an exclusive insight into elite level football.
It marks a dream start for the 16-year-old's who made their first grade debuts in the Canberra premier league this season.
Rogic's Canberra-based manager Andy Bernal orchestrated the invitation after being impressed by their performances during their round-15 clash.
Garner was "lost for words" when he received the call from Bernal and is ready to do whatever it takes to fulfill his football dream.
"It's what I've wanted to do for so long now and now I've got the opportunity to grab it with both hands," Garner said.
"It's going to be eye-opening and a massive step up from Canberra. I'm just looking to perform over there and hopefully something will come about it."
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Garner and Woods reminded Bernal of a teenage Tom Rogic and hopes they'll be inspired by his journey.
"Both boys impressed me immediately like the first time I saw Tom Rogic," Bernal said.
"We have no A-league club in Canberra so the quicker they get out into a professional environment the better chance they have of becoming top professionals.
"This is a training and development trip to see where they lie in the football landscape, and be put into the club database for further monitoring."
Olympic coach Frank Cachia backed Woods to become a future football star and said the "ball is in his court" to see how far he can take it.
"What he's done at his age is quite remarkable," Cachia said.
"He's broken into a first grade side who has a number of established performers there.
"For someone new coming in, it's beyond our expectations with him being in this position. It's a great stepping stone and if Olympic are part of that journey then we're delighted."
Woods has spent the past season learning the ropes from Olympic's star forward-line of former A-League striker Kofi Danning, Stephen Domenici and Nik Popovich.
He's highly likely to start on the bench when Olympic face Tigers FC in a Capital Football major semi-final on Saturday.
The minor-premiers are expected to field a full-strength squad for the qualifier after having two-weeks to rest any niggling injuries.
"This will be one of the first times we've been able to field the same line-up this year," Cachia said.
"Our players are prepared and the Tigers will be stepping up as well. Both sides have a lot to play for and they'll come out firing.
"It took a very big effort for our guys to run them down. We know they're full of quality and we'll give them the due respect they deserve."
Olympic will earn direct entry into the grand final should they beat the Tigers on Saturday. Woods hopes to claim the championship before heading overseas.
"It'll be good to end on a high before leaving for Scotland," Woods said.
"The first grade boys have been really good in helping me improve over the season so it's been really good.
"The step up has helped me adapt to that quicker style, so I should be better equipped to go over there in a few weeks."
NPL Canberra Semi-finals: Saturday at AIS Grassfields
Elimination final: Gungahlin United v Canberra FC at 2pm
Qualifying final: Canberra Olympic v Tigers FC at 4:30pm
Women's elimination final: Canberra United Academy v Gungahlin United at 2pm
Women's qualifying final: Belconnen United v Canberra FC at 4.30pm
