Club kicking towards female football goal

FREE soccer training for women of all ages is being offered weekly thanks to of members of the Victoria Park Vultures Football Club.

The sessions are run by coach Raymond Janes, who spearheaded the initiative with the aim of forming a women’s team for the Ballarat and District Soccer Association’s 2024 season.

He said it’s a response to the lack of female players in the region.

“If you look at soccer in Ballarat there are very few women’s teams,” he said. “In a city as big as this, there should be five or six teams as many.

“If you go to Bendigo, there’ll be 50, 60 women’s teams playing, the same in Geelong. There’s potentially a maximum of seven or eight teams in Ballarat.”

With the club unable to build a women’s team for the 2023 season, their seven female players are currently playing in a mixed group.

About 15 female players would be needed to field a side, and Janes said it’s been about five years since Vic Park had a dedicated women’s squad.

With ample time before next year’s season, Janes said the sessions are a great opportunity for women to give the game a try and see if the club is a fit for them.

“We want to build this right the way through this season. If you show up six weeks before and the club wants you to register,” he said.

“They’re not going to fork their money out unless they’re ready to play the game. This gives us 12 months to build the team, and for them to see if they want to play.”

The free sessions will run at Victoria Park off Military Drive each Wednesday from 6.30pm to 8pm before changing to 6pm to 8pm on Thursday nights from Thursday, 6 April.