By Jed Lanyon
Getting Girls In will return to help support girls and women looking to play football as well as clubs who are looking to field their own female team.
It aims to provide an informative session for potential footballers, who can gain insight on how the Eastern Ranges U18 Girls squad trains.
The event will feature North Melbourne AFLW defence coach Nick Rutley and 2019 ERWFL Coach of the Year Patsy Boxell as guest speakers.
Ms Boxell, player/coach for Yarra Junction’s senior women’s team, said she is looking forward to highlighting expectations for potential players coming into the league.
“From a Yarra Junction perspective, I’ll be sharing how we progressed throughout the year and the barriers we came against.
“We’ll talk about how we will be involving girls with different skill levels. Some have been playing for five years while others are kicking a footy for the very first time.”
Ms Boxell said Yarra Junction struggled with numbers in 2018, often playing without a bench or requiring the opposition side to help fill out their squad.
But the next season the continued growth of the game meant that Ms Boxell was forced to select a side, with few players sitting out.
“Not all barriers are negative barriers. And the girls understood that it came down to their commitments to training.”
Ms Boxell had some words for those who may be unsure as to whether they are up for putting on a pair of footy boots for the first time.
“Like everybody always says, just give it a go. Footy is a whole new level. It’s not like basketball or netball where you can rock up five minutes before a game,” she said.
“It’s a huge club environment where you become a family and form a close bond. It becomes a massive relief from normal life, school and work.
“You’ll come across girls from all different walks of life and find yourself on coffee dates with them and taking part in all their big life events.
“I’ve been playing footy for years and it’s done nothing but good for me.”
In a survey from last year’s participants, 100 per cent said they found the event useful and learnt something new about enabling girls/women’s participation, according to Eastern Health.
Getting Girls In will take place at the Eastern Ranges Football Club on Tuesday 18 February from 6pm with supper provided.
To get your ticket, visit https://gettinggirlsin2020.eventbrite.com.au.
