Girls get active at futsal festival

FORTY girls took part in a festival of futsal at Woodman’s Hill this week, designed to generate greater female interest in the sport.

The free Futsal Ballarat initiative for six to 14-year-old girls was run as part of Football Victoria’s Female Football February campaign, offering a skills and games session, before the staging of a high-quality five-a-side women’s exhibition match.

Futsal Ballarat managing director Dermott Tebb said it’s the organisation’s goal to attract enough players for a girls-only competition, and show them what senior female athletes can achieve.

“We are excited to provide an opportunity for more girls to get involved in an inclusive and fun sport… and highlight the importance of female participation and equality in futsal,” he said.

“The exhibition match showcased some of our best female players and provided an opportunity for the girls to meet with and learn from some of the best.

“An influx of new female members has seen us grow to 150 female participants and we are looking at the opportunity to create female only divisions.”

Nine-year-old cricket-lover Evie headed along on Monday night to try a new sport.

“It was my first time playing futsal. We played some different games, like number soccer, and I enjoyed kicking the ball,” she said.

“It was really fun. I learnt a bit about stopping and dribbling, and got better at aiming the ball at my teammates and the goal.”

Futsal Ballarat general manager Jordyn Donald said Ballarat is full of talented young female athletes.

“We want to give more girls the chance to be active, have fun and play futsal with their friends,” she said.

“From my own experiences playing futsal and football at social and representative levels, the more females at all levels will only benefit the sport and ultimately the participants.”