Girls score for second soccer cup

HUNDREDS of young female soccer players took to the field at the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility at Morshead Park last weekend to compete for the second annual Western United Cup.

With nearly 50 teams and more than 30 clubs throughout Victoria and Tasmania represented, Western United Football Club’s events manager Steph Leondidis said the program has grown significantly.

“It was quite successful given the growth we had last year,” she said. “We had hundreds more participants and 20 to 30 more teams registered this year.

“The growth has been quite big. The aim is to continually build year after year. Each day got bigger and bigger and more exciting leading into the grand final matches.”

Ms Leondidas said the recent national attention on the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Matildas was likely a factor in the event’s success.

“From what the Matildas were able to produce this year, it really gave an extra layer of insight, inspiration and motivation, something the younger generation can look up to,” she said.

The Western United Cup, which ran from Friday to Sunday, was delivered by WUFC with Football Skool and aimed at showcasing female soccer players between the under 9s to under 21s categories.

More than 100 games took place as part of the event and Ms Leondidis said she expects the event to get bigger and bigger.

“We already had interest post the tournament from other interstate clubs asking if they can be involved for the following year,” she said.

“For us, it’s something we want to grow beyond a national level. We’re looking at clubs who’d like to travel for this tournament whether it be clubs from Europe or Asian, wherever.”