New Zealand Football is trying to get more girls into the sport by offering girls-only leagues during summer.
The number of girls and women playing football has been growing rapidly. About 19,000 females are registered in the sport. The Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) Active New Zealand Survey, carried out in 2007/08, found that over the 12-month period, more than 47,800 women aged 16 and over had participated in football at least once.
Numbers are expected to be given a further boost by the FIFA World Cup popularity and the launch of the New Zealand Football Junior Girls Football Framework, says Women’s Football Development Manager Bev Priestman.
“We’re giving more girls more chances to play more football,” she says. “The new framework offers girls-only football for six to 12-year-olds during the summer months. We’re hoping the shift in season will attract a whole new group of girls to the game.”
By offering football at times away from other dominating winter sports such as netball, and introducing a new exciting format, NZ Football aims to get more girls into the game, says Bev.
The approach follows recent surveys to clubs, players and non-registered players, and aims to offer games that will better meet the motivational needs of young girls. Recent initiatives aimed at growing the game – such as the NZ Football Girls and Women’s Week which provided great coverage and exposure – made it clear that the current format and opportunities did not meet the needs of all young girls, she says.
“Girls-only football was being offered in a few parts of the country in varied formats. This change will make it much more accessible and in a consistent format. The new framework will maximize the potential and really increase the numbers of girls playing football.”
Since the 2008 U17 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, the female side of the sport has grown hugely, says Bev. For example, in Wellington last year 32 new teams joined a newly established girls’ league running on a Sunday. This solved the problem of girls playing netball on Saturdays and being unavailable for football games.
Games in summer could be the key to success, says Bev. “We will have better quality grounds with less cancellations and it will give girls the opportunity to play all year round. It also means our best coaches from winter can support the future of the girls’ game in the summer.”
Leagues will be held at one venue, will be double age-banded and girls will play smaller sided games for longer, which will make it easier for clubs to form teams.
“We’re aiming to breed a girls’ football culture and to get more mums to take up coaching too,” she says.
The framework model will be piloted across some regions in October 2010 with a three-year progressive plan to implement it nationally. Over the coming months those regions on board will use the already established ‘females in football’ programme to attract new girls in to the framework through primary schools and clubs.
For further information on the framework, please download the recently completed junior girls football review.
