Youth Girls Football
Football Victoria Youth Girls Competition
The U17 Youth Girls Competition was established to cater for the growing interest from adolescent females wanting to participate in Australian Football in regular community competitions. With the increasing number of girls participating in the Auskick and school competitions, it was identified by AFL Victoria that a structured female player pathway was required.
The inaugural Competition was started In May 2004 with a fifteen a side program and 122 young girls competing. The Competition has not only allowed these girls to continue their love of the game from previous Australian Football programs and as supporters of the game, but also created an environment to allow them to play the game with their peers in a fun, safe and inclusive environment.
The Competition was planned around a safe, fun and female friendly football venue, where girls could compete in an environment that they felt was non-threatening. Some rule and equipment modifications have been made to encourage participation and safety. Our objective was to design and deliver a 10 week Australian Football pilot competition for girls aged 13 to 17.
The Competition linked people from all areas of the with teams representing government and independent secondary schools, football clubs, leagues and also community based teams. These are located in Rosebud, Glen Iris, Narre Warren, Berwick and Waverley.
A comprehensive evaluation of the Competition was conducted with participants, parents and other stakeholders all being involved.
This revealed that there was a passionate ‘love of the game’ very evident. The opportunity to play a male dominated contact sport had been grasped with relish by many of the girls. Wanting to show that ‘girls can do it’ was a recurring theme and reflects frustration on the part of many of the girls that they have been denied this opportunity before.
Typical remarks were:
“The game is just awesome!”
“It’s the best fun… my brothers have been playing for years and its great I finally get a chance”
Several stated that they felt privileged that they were part of this new era when girls could play footy and show their friends, family and the wider community what they could do.
A recurring theme emerged about having fun while meeting new people and making new friends, suggesting that this competition can indeed be a significant vehicle for social interaction and community connectedness.
Typical responses were:
“Being part of a team, having fun and supporting the team”
“Getting muddy, making friends and having fun”
“It’s fun to get dirty without getting in trouble”
The pilot competition will now be a fully supported annual competition, with six teams in the 2005 season of the ‘Footy Pak Cup’. In addition, a five team competition for the ‘Western Bulldogs Forever Foundation Cup’ is also running in the western suburbs of Melbourne with JJ Holland Park in Kensington being the central venue.
Planning is underway to also establish a competition in Melbourne’s northern suburbs in 2006. Country regional centres have also been identified as growth areas in the future.
