Dean said it was always his plan to document the journey of his daughter and her teammates regardless of whether it would be funded.

“I coached girls before Miette was born and the reason why I fell in love with the women’s game is because they reminded me about the way men played soccer in the 70s,” he said.

“The girls would have the shit pitch in the corner with all the divots and had hand-me-down tops with hardly any lighting.

“They turned up to every session with a smile and they gave 100%, whereas the boys always complained the facilities weren’t good enough, the shirts weren’t good enough and we felt the world owed us something.

“I thought the passion the girls showed is what football is all about. What the women show today is that they play because they love it, even knowing their future to a degree is capped.

“The opportunities are growing, but there aren’t as many as what the boys have, but they still play with that passion. I think the men are losing it because they’ve been getting paid and have conditions. They’re becoming a bit spoilt.”

Dean says Cooney-Cross has come a long way despite only being 16

Miette prefers playing as a striker or a winger and has netted eight goals for Box Hill this season.

The teen supports Arsenal, Real Madrid and Melbourne Victory and dreams of playing in the W-League and England one day.

“I started playing when I was four. When I first started walking, I started kicking the ball around,” she said.

“My dad introduced it to me, but I’m not playing soccer because of him. I started to watch games when I was young and I thought it was a really good sport and matches my athletic ability.

“Playing in U19s now, there’s pressure and people think I must be good for that level and if I don’t perform to the standard, people question why I’m there.

“I want to play for Australia and the Gunners one day. Looking at them now, they play such a good brand of football under Joe Montemurro.

“I’m also looking at studying sports psychology after high school.”

Kick series three is set to air on ABC Me in October.