She is the daughter of a rugby league journeyman. However, Jayme Millard is ready to forge her own path on another sporting field.
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The Bulli teen - whose dad Shane played more than 250 games in the NRL and English Super League, including a stint at the St George Illawarra Dragons - has secured a football scholarship at Concord University in the US.
Millard will move to West Virginia in 2021 and is preparing to juggle study commitments with playing for the Concord Mountain Lions.
The 17-year-old will be joined by ACT National Premier League player Brigitte Sander, who has also landed a scholarship. They continue a tradition of Australians representing the Mountain Lions, starting with Canberra's Ali Cook back in 2017.
"It's really exciting, it will be a good opportunity to play soccer over there and learn," Millard told the Mercury.
"I started the process last year but due to coronavirus, it was pushed back obviously. Then Concord reached out and said they were interested in having a chat. I spoke with their coach Luke [Duffy] via WhatsApp and email... it sounded really cool. We kept in contact for a bit and then they made an offer. It's a good opportunity."
The US scholarship continues Millard's meteoric rise in football, which started with the Illawarra Stingrays.
"I started with their under-13s and played there for two or three years. The Stingrays were good - that was where I decided I loved soccer and wanted to make something of it," she said.
"From the Stingrays, I was scouted to go to a trial for the [Football NSW] Institute. I got in and that's where it all kicked off for me."
Millard joined the Institute in 2018, going on to make her first grade debut last year. In between club commitments, the left back has also represented the Young Matildas.
"It's been a good experience [for the Institute]. I learned a lot off the girls and we had a good coach. We were up against pretty much older [opponents]. You had to keep up with the physicality of it all and work hard," the teenager said.
"I've played in the [Young Matildas] under-17s and went over to Thailand for the AFC Championships [in 2018]. The year after, I made the U/19s and we played a home game in Sydney against Thailand. That was awesome, it's something I'd love to do again in the coming years. It was probably the best experience of my life."
For now, Millard will continue her HSC studies and will prepare to represent Football NSW Institute in 2020. Long term, her goal is to play for the Matildas.
"My goal is to keep working hard and see what happens. Hopefully I can make it one day - that's my aspiration," she said. "I look up to Caitlin Foord. She also had to travel a lot and worked hard form a young age, and made it. She's now playing in England [for Arsenal] which is amazing."