It's hard to believe Caitlin Foord has achieved so much in such a short time.The 17-year-old Illawarra Sports High School student has now added another prestigious award to her already stunning list of sporting achievements.Last night at a gala presentation dinner at the Portofino International Function Centre in Wollongong, Foord was the deserving recipient of the 2011 Illawarra Mercury/Portofino Sports Star of the Year award. PHOTO GALLERY - All the glitz and glamourIn winning the region's most prestigious sporting award, Foord further enhanced her growing reputation as the latest in a long list of champions who have received such public recognition and acclaim.One only has to peruse the stunning list of Sports Star of the Year winners since 1980, when champion hockey player Dianne Gorman took out the inaugural prize, to understand what this honour means.To be the Sports Star of the Year, the winner must be chosen ahead of an annual list of finalists who would do justice to any award, such is the depth of talent from the Illawarra region year after year.And Foord fits the bill perfectly. She capped a meteoric rise on the international scene by claiming two major awards in 2011 after being the youngest player at the Women's World Cup in Germany.Last November she won the Asian Football Confederation Youth Player of the Year award in Kuala Lumpur.The award followed Foord starring for the Matildas at the World Cup in July, earning the then 16-year-old the tournament's Best Young Player trophy.Many were surprised when coach Tom Sermanni played Foord against Brazil in the World Cup in a match the Matildas lost.Australia bowed out of the Cup in Germany with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Sweden and, disappointingly, also missed out on a place at the 2012 Olympics in London.Foord, who turned 17 in November, already plays in the Australian national women's league, the W-League, and has raised the bar in her rookie season."Caitlin's got a great attitude for sport," Sermanni said."There's a confidence about her without being arrogant. There's a cheekiness about her that's friendly."She's a big-time competitor. It doesn't matter what level of player or the experience of player or what the event is."That was one of the reasons that she stood out in the World Cup. She's got all the ingredients."Foord, who is a Warilla Wanderers and Illawarra Stingrays junior, said playing at the World Cup was an amazing time in her life."The whole World Cup experience was the best experience I've ever been a part of," she said."It was ... an unforgettable time and it's amazing to be able to say one of my dreams came true."A year ago I didn't think of being in the team, but I got the chance to show what I could do in the W-League."Now having added the 2011 Illawarra Mercury/Portofino Sports Star of the Year award to her trophy collection, the brilliant footballer is at the start of an exciting future only dreamed of by most people.As her football career continues to unfold and blossom, don't be surprised if this 2011 Mercury Sports Star of the Year award is the first of many for Foord.