Western Jets Thomas Burton has been named in the AFL National Academy squad for next year.
Burton is joined by three Calder Cannons with both the boys and girls squads announced on Monday.
The squads comprise a selection of the most talented boys and girls footballers from across Australia who will take part in the program during their draft year.
The 2025 academy program will be the 28th annual intake for boys and ninth intake for girls.
Cannons’ Cooper Duff-Tytler and Jets’ Thomas Burton have been named in the boys squad.
Duff-Tytler, whose local club is Woodend-Hesket, has made the decision to focus on football full time, having previously represented Australia in basketball.
Burton, who is from Point Cook, finished in the 10 ten in the Western Jets best and fairest this year.
He made his senior debut for Point Cook last season as a 16-year-old in the club’s grand final loss.Point Cook president Ivo Havard said at the time that Burton was an emerging star.
“Some people were skeptical about the decision to play a 16-year-old but he had a great Coates league debut (for the Western Jets) the other week,” he said.
“He’s got the X-factor, he’ll be a good player.
“Looking forward to seeing Tommy Burton in the future.”
Both Duff-Tytler and Burton played under-16 for Vic Metro last season and played on the MCG this year in the AFL futures game before the AFL grand final.
Cannons Chloe Baker-West and Jade McLay have been named in the girls squad.
Both were part of the under-18 Vic Metro squad this year as bottom age players.
The academy is a holistic program that combines football and personal development.
The program provides the next generation of stars with valuable experiences, insights and opportunities in their Draft year which will best prepare them for the next steps in their football journey.
Content is delivered across three camps, commencing with a high-performance camp that will be held in Melbourne during December.
Two additional camps will be held during the 2025 season which will involve talent showcase matches where the Academy squads will represent their country as the Australia under-18 team.
AFL National Academy manager Tarkyn Lockyer congratulated all players on their selection.
“All players are extremely deserving of their selection and have demonstrated elite football talent and a commitment to further enhance their skillset on and off the field in a high-performance environment,” he said.
“We welcome them to the Marsh AFL National Academy and look forward to working closely with them throughout the program.”
