VU-Western Spurs are forecasting rapid growth after packing up and moving to a new home base.
The Spurs will settle in at Henry Turner Reserve in Footscray this season and beyond after turning their back on Kings Park Reserve in St Albans after years of calling it home.
The move was seen by the Spurs as a necessity as they embark on their first season in the inaugural AFL Victoria women’s football state league.
Head of Spurs media Kelly Borradale said the club was excited about the move.
“It brings us into an area where we’ve got a better catchment for players and we’ve got some great partnerships now with Maribyrnong City Council and Victoria University,” she said.
“We needed to be a bit more central. With our partnership with VU, we can promote the club a lot easier because they’re just across the road.”
The decision to leave St Albans was not taken lightly. The Spurs football team and St Albans Sports Club had combined to foster women’s football in the west from a grassroots level.
The Spurs were part of the premier division of the Victorian Women’s Football League but always had an eye on youth development, running Auskick clinics for girls and promoting homegrown players into their seniors.
“We had a good working relationship with St Albans and they did look after us for a number of years. We’re very grateful to them for that,” Borradale said.
“But we sat down and explained our reasons [for the Footscray move] and they were quite understanding and supportive.”
The move to Footscray ticks many boxes for the Spurs.
Top of the list is the chance to work more closely with Victoria University.
They also get to stand alone as the west’s only state league women’s team, and the central location will help them build a following and attract new players.
The facilities at Henry Turner Reserve, which already house WRFL club Parkside and Premier Cricket club Footscray Edgewater, could be set to receive a boost through the Spurs’ partnership with Maribyrnong council.
“Our transition team went for a walk through the facilities to check out the rooms and they were quite impressed,” Borradale said.
“Once a grant is applied for, we’ll get an extension to the rooms, so it’s a very exciting change for us.”
Led by head coach Debbie Lee and assistant coach Jordan Roughead, the Spurs have put together one of the most exciting coaching teams in the competition.
Their exciting playing list includes Bree White, who has featured for Melbourne against the Western Bulldogs in AFL women’s matches in recent years. Two of their up-and-coming players, Ashleigh Guest and Amy Harrison, will be part of the AFL Victoria academy in which the top 120 women footballers in the state get access to elite coaches, facilities and programs.
“With the state league coming in this year, as well as the additional AFL teams, it will really be a springboard for women’s footy,” Borradale said. “The [Channel Seven] telecast [of the AFL women’s games] last year really got people to see first-hand the talent that we have and where this sport is going.
“People can see the level and see how talented women are in this sport and that it’s not just a novelty … they can appreciate the athleticism now.
“It’s exciting times and most definitely it’s growing at a rapid rate.”
