HISTORY will be made in 2017 with the EDFL hosting three standalone Youth Girls competitions.
Girls in Under 12s, Under 15s and Under 18s will have the opportunity to pull on their boots every weekend and play the game that they love in a league of their own.
EDFL CEO Marc Turri said “there’s a lot of excitement around the place,” as the league has never had its own Youth Girls competitions.
He attributed the growth of female football to the new AFLW competition, which has broken records of all kinds and has witnessed immense growth in female participation across the nation.
“There has been tremendous growth in the Under 12, Under 15 and Under 18 age groups,” Mr Turri said.
Mr Turri believes that this will be “beneficial to the clubs and players” as it “reduces the amount of travel they have to do”.
Moreover, it will allow the girls to experience playing a new brand of football against the diverse sides that the Youth Girls competition plays host to.
Mr Turri, like many other families and fans of female football, is excited about the future of the Youth Girls competition in the EDFL.
“I have no doubt that the skill level will increase,” Mr Turri said.
“There’s a growing influx of female participants in Auskick (and) developing skills at a low grassroots level.”
Therefore, when they reach the Under 12 and Under 15 level, they will already have accumulated the basic skills to improve remarkably.
The EDFL CEO is certain that the Youth Girls competition will continue to grow.
“The arena for opportunities available at community level will increase,” said Mr Turri, who is hoping to have different divisions of Youth Girls teams across the various age groups in the coming years.
“Hopefully it’ll increase competitive levels and enjoyment factors for each team.”
Turri admitted that there are a lot of unknowns coming into the inaugural standalone Youth Girls competition, but has asserted that all teams will be competitive and have got numbers.
There will be 17 clubs who will feature in the inaugural standalone EDFL Youth Girls Competition in 2017.
These teams are sure to display promising skills, enthralling contests and most importantly, enjoyment for all involved.
Clubs with Youth Girls teams in 2017:
