ONE of the Shire\u2019s football and netball clubs is kicking off the new season with the debut of its first under 12s girls footy team.<\/p>\n
The Inverleigh Football and Netball Club has formed the under 12s girls side, and the team will play games in the AFL Barwon junior female competition.<\/p>\n
With the club\u2019s established netball teams only able to hold so many players, committee member Rob McHenry said expanding their football offering has allowed for greater female participation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought we\u2019d look into the interest and we saw that there was quite a significant number of girls in our Auskick program,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was definitely a possibility for it and then when we put it out there that we wanted to do it, the community response was just extraordinary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a need and a challenge there that we had in terms of having enough opportunities for girls to get engaged, and so it looks like this\u2019ll be a good thing going for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The expansion comes alongside a series of upgrades for the club, with facilities now provided for female football changerooms at the recreation reserve as part of a $1.5 million grant from the State Government.<\/p>\n
The club\u2019s coordinator of women\u2019s footy Narelle Scott said the team\u2019s formation is the result of these recent developments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new facilities have definitely helped, rather than iffing or butting, we were able to actually say we\u2019re running with it, and everyone had the confidence to get involved because of that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still getting people signing up. By now there\u2019s at least 16 girls signed up, and there\u2019s still more to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team will be coached by Gemma Hardy, and McHenry said the end goal is to develop senior women\u2019s teams, with the under 12s providing the first step for further inclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs someone who\u2019s been a part of country football for a long time, it\u2019s great to see the increased opportunities for more people to get involved with it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see that grow and to see professional pathways for these girls to go into is exciting. Who\u2019s to say a young country girl from Inverleigh can\u2019t one day aspire to that?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ONE of the Shire\u2019s football and netball clubs is kicking off the new season with the debut of its first under 12s girls footy team. The Inverleigh Football and Netball Club has formed the under 12s girls side, and the team will play games in the AFL Barwon junior female competition. With the club\u2019s established […]<\/p>\n