The Western Bulldogs are hoping the girls of the west contract a case of football fever this winter.
The Bulldogs have spearheaded the first all-girls Auskick program by a Victorian AFL club. The free program at the Whitten Oval starts at 4pm today, ahead of a women’s AFL clash between the Dogs and Melbourne at Etihad Stadium this Sunday.
Western Bulldogs players Emma Kearney and Mitch Wallis helped launch the initiative at an all-girls footy clinic at North Footscray Primary School last week, along with Bulldogs chief executive Simon Garlick, state Sports Minister Damian Drum and Maribyrnong mayor Grant Miles.
Kearney, a midfielder in the Bulldogs’ women’s team, urged girls in the inner west to give football a try.
“Come and have some fun with your friends and start on a journey that could see you pull on the Western Bulldogs jumper as part of the club’s women’s team.”
The program is a partnership of the Bulldogs, AFL Victoria, Maribyrnong council and the Western Region Football League.
Garlick said a growing interest in
women’s footy made the all-girls centre a perfect fit for the club.
“We are seeing more and more girls want to get involved in footy, so it’s critical that we provide opportunities for these kids to play football in a friendly, fun and all-girl environment,” he said.
Last year, about 169,000 girls nationally played football, but the Bulldogs are determined to boost the number of local players.
Mr Drum said he was pleased to see the Bulldogs take the growth in women’s football in recent years to another level. “Not only are the Bulldogs, along with Melbourne, an AFL club that plays an annual elite women’s match, they now become the first Victorian club to set up their own all-girls Auskick centre to grow female participation at grass roots level.”
For more details, phone 9680 6189.
