Aberdeen Women defender Jess Broadrick plans to make the most of her final games for Scotland under-19s.
The 18-year-old is away with the youth national team for the last time this week, as she will be unavailable for selection for the next camp due to turning 19 in July.
Scotland are in Albania for Uefa Euro qualifying action, with a League B clash against the hosts up first on Wednesday before playing Liechtenstein on Saturday.
Broadrick has been a mainstay in the Scotland U19s squad since making her debut in October 2021, having skippered the side in each of her 14 appearances to date.
She said: “It’s one of those where you never want it to end, but it’s always an honour to be called up for Scotland.
“It’s the kind of opportunity where every time you get called up, there is a chance it could be your last one because you might not get the call-up again.
“It’s going to be an enjoyable experience. I’ll be playing with and against some of the best players my age, so it’s another big learning opportunity for me.
“I’ll definitely treasure it forever.”
Broadrick admits the captain’s armband was not something she had expected to get from coach Pauline Hamill, but says it has been an honour to lead Scotland out.
She added: “I think anyone in the under-19s set-up could have been named captain, but as a backline player and a more experienced player, I’ve always seen it as how can I help the girls on the pitch.
“Being the captain has been an honour for me, it’s been an added bonus.”
Broadrick wants to work to be ‘best version’ of herself
Like some of her Aberdeen team-mates, Broadrick’s next Scotland appearance would have to be for the senior team as there is currently no women’s under-21s side to progress to.
She said: “We’re all very ambitious players, but at the same time, I’m still focusing on me and trying to be the best version of myself.
“I’m probably annoying Gav (Levey) on a weekly basis with questions I’ve got about the game and how I should be preparing. I think I need to continue doing that to keep progressing.
“An under-21s team would be great, but we have opportunities with our club and we just need to be setting a high standard of our game here before we make the next step.”
Broadrick is the only Aberdeen player to have started all 24 SWPL 1 games this season, and the young defender believes her side can thrive in their remaining matches following the league split.
She said: “In terms of the challenge, it’s going to be the same because the teams in this half of the split, like Spartans, are really tough to play against.
“We’re aiming to finish near the top of the split – that’s our ambition. We’re still learning and Gav has given us the opportunity to go out and express ourselves in these games.”
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