By: Daniel Cencic
UP TO 26 clubs are expected to converge on Templestowe Reserve for this weekend’s Deakin University Eastern Region Women’s Lightning Premiership.
The tournament will see a full fixture of matches, highlighting the growth of women’s football in the eastern region.
Female Competitions and Talent Coordinator Jessie Mulholland has overseen the rapid expansion.
“In the Eastern Region women’s football league we will see a growth from 18 teams in 2018, to 34 in the 2019 season,” Mulholland said.
“Our women’s lightning cup will be spread across two days in which the five divisions will play each other.”
Several club identities have commented on the rise of female football at their club while fostering a supportive, inclusive environment.
“By the end of the (2018) season we’d built up our numbers from only having nine at the start of the year to about 25 at the end of the year,” Boronia senior women’s co-coach Scott Nicholas said.
“We’ve had about 30 to 40 on the track most nights and we’ll be having an under-16 girls team this year so we’ve had the under-16 girls training with us as well which is great for the club because we’re starting to build that female football pathway.”
“We have mums and we have girls playing and all we want to do is make sure that they are enjoying the game of footy,” Bayswater women’s coach Glenn Murray said.
Blackburn is set to field two senior women’s teams this season and saw its inaugural team take strides last year.
“At the start of last year, we only had two girls that had played any kind of competitive footy before so to make the grand final was a fantastic achievement,” Blackburn senior women’s coach Leeann Gill said.
“Now the girls have a season under their belt and we also have a lot of players that have played other sports at a high level coming across to the club.”
Templestowe will field its inaugural senior women’s footy team this year.
The Dockers’ first foray into senior female footy has been spearheaded by club identities Nicole Muleta and Vickie Parris and has seen up to 26 players on the track this pre-season.
The side will be coached by current player Sam Noble, alongside Jesse Wilson as assistant.
Meanwhile, Chirnside Park has welcomed its top-tier side into the Eastern competition ahead of the 2019 season.
“It’s been something that the club has wanted for a long time,” club president Adrian Birt said.
“It gives us the opportunity to bring more female participants to our football club and knowing that we’re going to be playing other local teams in the competition, particularly in the top division.
“It’ll be great for the community more than anything.”
Full Lightning Premiership details below:
