New team, more opportunity:

A decade’s worth of investment in women’s football is paying off for St Joseph’s.

Launching its women’s program in 2015, the ‘Roos have bounced from strength to strength, ticking off two significant milestones to open the 2026 season: the introduction of a seconds team and the switch on of new donor-funded lights at Plan Group Oval.

With both St Joseph’s ovals now lit, club president Sue Cormack said there will be plenty of women’s evening football.

“Our senior women will follow the men as much as possible,” Cormack said.

“Wherever we’ve got a home game – and the away team is able – we’ve scheduled them for straight after the men’s game, and I think what that does is make the female game much more visible, and it’s really ready to be visible.”

By having their women’s teams play directly after the men, the club hopes to boost crowd sizes and build continuity of support.

Cormack said the level of skill in their division 1 side, in particular, deserves to be on display, with expectations they will be highly competitive this season.

“They’re a really great bunch of girls, but they’re starting to ramp up the skill level and I think people who watch it go ‘Wow, this game has really come a long way’, so we’ll be featuring lots of women’s night games,” she said.

Investing in women’s football has not just benefited players on the field. The tireless behind-the-scenes work from volunteers and committee members has also created new pathways towards leadership and skill development.

Cormack credits early work on building a women’s football pathway with giving her the skills and confidence to eventually take on the role of president.

She also emphasised that investment in women’s football has not just come from club members and players, but from the broader community.

Without the financial support of major sponsors and donors, the facilities required to keep everyone on the field would not be possible.

Cormack said the club wants to recognise it is a community space, and that providing fair and affordable access is central to that.