Macarthur Football Association is putting on more all-girls competitions to encourage more girls to take up the sport at a younger age.
The MFA is incentivising clubs to create and recruit for new all-girls teams from under-6 to under-9 by offering free team entry in these competitions to encourage more all-girls teams in younger age groups.
MFA General Manager Salv Carmusciano said the offer was well received in 2019 by clubs and players alike.
“We really want our clubs to be able to offer a girls-only option in those young ‘MiniRoos’ age groups to ensure the girls and parents have the choice of whether they want to play with boys or just with girls,” he said.
“We’re not saying it has to be one way or the other, but in our experience we know that girls have not taken up the game earlier because they wanted to wait for an all-girls option.
“The offer was really well received last year and we were able to field all-girls teams in those age groups, which was great for everyone.
“The players loved it and we’re looking forward to seeing a similar response in 2020.”
Having girls-only teams from such a young age group allows the MFA to offer more competitions and programs to help grow the female participation base in the local area.
“We had 17 girls-only teams in those age groups last year, so it was a good first year,” Carmusciano said.
The Association also introduced a Girls-only ‘MiniRoos’ tournament to celebrate the end of season for those teams.
“This is something that was offered to our boys and mixed teams previously, so it was an easy decision to establish a Girls-only version as well. In 2020 we’ll be running this as part of our Female Football Grand Final Day, which will bring the best female teams across all our Leagues together to fight for their respective Championships”.
The introduction of a Female Football Grand Final Day is just one initiative the MFA is implementing as it looks to retain and recruit more female footballers in the older groups as well.
The association runs a range of female football competitions and there is plenty of opportunity for female footballers to find a local club and join a team, regardless of their experience in the game.
An initiative that is unique to Macarthur is the annual City v Country Charity Cup.
This event, which aims to raise funds for the Kids of Macarthur Health Foundation, pits Macarthur’s Campbelltown region against the regions country areas of Camden and Wollondilly.
In 2020, the event will be extended to include an U21 Men’s and U18 Girls match, as well as The Senior Men and Women Matches.
Of course, there are exciting developments on the A-League scene in Macarthur with the Macarthur Bulls set to join the competition for the 2020/21 season.
The club has already appointed Matildas coach and former Socceroos assistant coach Ante Milicic to the head coach role and Carmusciano said the MFA would work closely with the new A-League club.
If you’re interested in playing football in 2020, head to https://www.macarthurfootball.com.au/ for more information or check out the club details below.
