Swans Junior Girls Wrap
Monday, 11th July 2011
By Chelsea Randall
THE final Swan Districts' Junior Girls games were held at Steel Blue Oval on Thursday 7th July ending a fantastic seven weeks of competition that has the players, coaches, parents and staff involved all eagerly awaiting for it to start up again in 2012.
It has been an extremely successful seven weeks for the Swan Districts Junior Girls Football Competition that began back on May 26 that consisted of a registration day at Steel Blue Oval and a free clinic for the girls a week before hand.
The competition was for girls aged between eight and 12 years of age and the seven-week program began with around 30 girls keen to participate in football, but word of mouth soon spread quickly and by the end over 50 girls were running around having the time of their lives.
Many of the girls had never met one another when the competition begun back in late May, but quickly developed some long-lasting friendships while loving the chance to get out on the field to play some footy.
On the first day of the competition the girls all got together and were put in teams, which they were then able to name.
They ended up putting together four teams:
- Coolbinia Bomberettes – Looked fantastic in their club uniforms and were coached by Gary Cockroft
- Riders – Coached by Bonne Forbes and Swan Districts Women's player and State representative Rikki Ryder
- Charlie's Angels – Coached by Swan Districts Women's player Charlie Headland who has over 10 years of experience in football
- Bulldogs – Coached by Swan Districts Women's player and State representative Lauren Osborne
Each of the games were played at Steel Blue Oval, another terrific opportunity for the girls, and consisted of two 15-minute halves with a five-minute break in between.
There were some outstanding displays of talent right throughout the seven weeks and the skill level of the girls was astonishing leaving many of the Swan Districts support staff and even the league players preparing for training in awe of their efforts as they watched on.
There was a great atmosphere created for the parents and supporters who came down each week and enjoyed the free tea and coffee that were provided.
The weather conditions also varied from week to week, but whether it was raining, cold or the sun was beaming down, the girls just wanted to be out there on the football field showing all the same traits that boys have shown in regards to their passion for the game.
The last night was on Thursday at Steel Blue Oval and featured two games, one after the other. Following the last game the girls enjoyed a free sausage sizzle and drink, which was kindly run by the parents and Swan Districts Women's players.
After the girls gulped down their sausage sizzle, presentations were held that saw each coach hand out a medal to every one of their eager and keen players.
The parents, supporters and players then enjoyed a PowerPoint presentation that included photos collected of the girls in action over the seven weeks.
The girls all wished that the competition was continuing longer and were sad that it came to an end, and all of them are sure to want to be involved again in 2012 with many of their sure to be keen to join them.
