THE amount of women playing football in WA has more than doubled in just two years, a trend which Peel Thunderbirds president Ann Fenton labelled “gigantic”.
In 2013, West Australian Football Commission figures showed just under 20,000 women were registered to play football in WA.
By 2015, that number had grown to just shy of 50,000.
Fenton said the rapid growth was was exhilarating for women’s football.
“It’s absolutely gigantic now compared to what it was – we used to struggle to field a side, and now we have leftover players joining in with local clubs,” she said.
“It’s gone from girls having a kick in the backyard to being taken seriously as athletes.”
The AFL is currently in the process of forming a women’s league, which is set to be launched in 2017.
Thunderbirds coach Mark Fenton said there could be as many as eight sides competing, including two from Western Australia.
“Fremantle and West Coast have both put in bids for women’s sides, and both can make a very strong case,” he said.
“Western Australia’s women’s side just recently beat Victoria’s, so if we only field one side in the top women’s league it will be a very strong one.
“I believe it’s in everyone’s best interests that we field two.”
He said the national competition would encourage more girls to participate in football from a young age.
“The main issue we have at the moment is that girls who want to play football haven’t had the opportunity in the past, so they come in without much knowledge or feel for the game,” he said.
“But if we get more female players into the system from a young age, the competition is going to be much stronger, and having a national league should encourage more to be involved.”
The Thunderbirds seem to be having no issue with putting youth through their system, with 11 of their youth girls helping the WA state side to a grand final berth earlier this year.
“Our youth girls are going really well at the moment and we have a really strong system in place,” Ann Fenton said.
“It’s just great to see girls succeeding in football, and soon having avenues to pursue a career in the sport they love.
The Thunderbirds’ next match is against East Fremantle at ATOM Stadium this Saturday.
It will be played at 5pm, directly after the Peel Thunder league match.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
