Swans and Saints girls prepare for clash
With local footy kicking off across the state this weekend, it is not just the boys who are dusting off their boots in anticipation.
The Sydney Harbour Youth Girls competition will hold a trial match between popular Eastern Suburbs side the Maroubra Saints, and brand new cross-town rivals the Mosman Swans this weekend.
Among the U14 and U16 Boys games, the Saints girls will take on the Swans for the first time ever at Middle Head Oval. The introduction of Mosman into the growing Youth Girls competition is another exciting step forward for young female footballers in Sydney.
Mosman Swans President Garry Forster is excited about the club’s newest recruits: “From the club’s perspective, it’s something we wanted to do last year but didn’t get ourselves organised.”
“This year we have given it a go and been delighted with the take up. From nothing, we now have developed something of substance within a relatively short period of time,” he said.
“Looking back, we have seen girls come through the Auskick program, perhaps play into the under 9s but then drop out at some point. We are a community based club offering AFL to both boys and girls from 4 to 16 so it is great that the AFL has set up the Youth Girls competition.”
The Sydney Harbour Youth Girls competition was first established in 2011 to assist with the growing demand by young girls to continue playing AFL. Currently in NSW/ACT, females are allowed to play in the mixed competition until U14’s before they are required to enter a single-sex competition.
The girls playing in the competition come from a mix of local clubs and schools within metropolitan Sydney. The Youth Girls program has also seen a positive flow-on effect, with several mothers registering for coaching accreditation and others assisting with managing the girls sides.
“All the girls (and mums) strike me as willing to try a new sport, mix with their friends on a different sporting field, and meet girls from different schools. We have girls from Mosman High, Queenwood, SCEGS and Wenona,” Forster said.
The official Sydney Harbour Youth Girls competition is set to commence on the 13th of May.
Mosman Swans v Marboubra Saints trial match:
Where: Middle Head Oval, Mosman
When: Kick off at 2pm
