AFL Victoria offers a range of opportunities to women and girls wishing to be involved in Australian Football. Since the appointment of a Female Football Development Manager, whose role is to develop female programs and implement female participation pathways, there has been a significant increase in the involvement of females at all levels. Female participation is flourishing and there are special reasons for this.

In addition to having fun and nurturing a love of playing sport, participation benefits identified by girls in an independent study conducted by Deakin University included improved fitness and weight management, increased physical skills, self confidence, mental strength and making new friends.

This section of the website contains information illustrating those reasons and specifically about how girls and women can become involved in Australian Football from Auskick to AFL level. It includes the participation programs, competitions and courses available to ensure that all female players, coaches and volunteers get the most out of their Footy.

FEMALES FLOODING INTO FOOTBALL

Female football leapt ahead in giant strides in 2004 in the areas of player participation and awareness of female involvement in football.An increase in female participation was recorded in all sectors including Auskick, Junior, Youth, Secondary School and Senior Women’s competitions and programs.

• 11,975 participants in 469 teams in the VSSSA School girls Football Competition, an increase 1545 participants.

• 846 registered players in 24 teams in 3 divisions in the Victorian Women’s Football League.

• 122 registered players in the new AFL Victoria Youth Girls competition.

• 339 Girls participating in junior football competitions around Victoria.

• 2876 girls in the AFL Auskick program in Victoria.

• Over 16,300 women and girls playing our game in organised community and Secondary School competitions around Victoria.

• 52 specific female only football clinics and programs were also conducted reaching 1,146 students around Victoria.

A female Football Advisory Group was formed to help access current and up to date information on female participation in the sport and recreation industry, thus improving our capacity to provide innovative and inclusive programs for women and girl’s in Australian Football.

The Victorian Women’s Football League (VWFL) is now a AFL Victoria affiliated league, with a much better administration capacity with the on going support of the Female Football Development Manager. Programs are now being set up to provide the VWFL Executive with the skills to better administer their League and competition and to deliver better training opportunities to the affiliated clubs and members.

 

The first ever underage female youth football competition was piloted successfully with five teams and 122 participants. The promotional campaign poster “YOU KICK LIKE A GIRL…GOOD FOR YOU!” was launched. Distribution was selective statewide with very positive feedback from all receiving this resource.Future of the Female Football will see even bigger increases in female participation as the innovation continues.

Specific programs for women in coaching and coaching female footballers and increasing the number of courses for women in club administration programs is a priority.

AFL Victoria is working with the VWFL and the Western Region Football League to set up a Women’s Football League Umpires Group to encourage more girls to be involved in officiating our game and to increase the awareness for male umpires to officiate in women’s football matches.

Victoria will host the AFL Women’s National Championships and AFL Victoria will also partner the VWFL, WFA and AFL ensuring the event’s smooth running and success.

The AFL Victoria Youth Girls Football competition after a successful first year is growing its existing South East Region competition ‘The Fooy-pak Cup’ with eight teams now registered.

The competition is also growing geographically with the new Western Region Competition securing financial support from the “Western Bulldogs Forever Foundation’. This will continue over the next three years, ensuring the sport is affordable to all participants, clubs and schools in the region, and with the help of AFL Victoria and the Western Bulldogs Forever Foundation, all participants and teams will receive equipment, uniforms and safety gear to ensure they enjoy their first female football experience.

Programs are being designed to ensure that girls and women in Country Victoria also have an opportunity to participate in Australian Football in the near future.

Links:
Girls in AFL Auskick
Youth Girls Football
Female School Programs
Victorian Womens Football League
Female coaching information
Umpiring
AFL Recreational Football