By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
CAMERON D’Arcy has always had a passion for women’s footy.
The 22-year-old butcher readily admits his love of watching and coaching the female game.
Cam is now leading the charge to have a Youth Girls team introduced to the Endeavour Hills Junior Football Club, where his 11-year-old step son, Caleb, currently plays.
After previously assistant coaching the Youth Girls team at Noble Park and the Women’s team at Hallam, Cam saw an opportunity to cater for female players at his family’s new club in the South East Juniors.
“I’ve always had a passion for women’s football, always have. Even before I was coaching them, I used to go down and watch them all the time, and I just think it’s great to see all the different competitions that are out there now,” he said.
“I didn’t know whether I wanted to get involved with a female team (at Endeavour Hills) or not, because Kylie my fiance was pregnant at the time, but I thought, well I could bring it to the committee.”
And Cam did just that, putting his case forward to the Endeavour Hills Eagles committee for a Youth Girls team, and potentially a women’s team, at the club.
“I told the committee what I wanted to do. They were out of their heads with the Youth Girls,” Cam said.
“They really wanted to get that going.”
While interest in joining a female team at Endeavour Hills has been small so far, and with other girl footy teams in Casey being forced to merge or disband in recent times, Cam is steely in his resolve to have a female side set up at Endeavour Hills – hopefully by next year.
Nothing is certain but, with potential sponsors also in the works, Cam will give the venture his best try.
“I will spend years on it if I have to, as long as I’m at Endeavour Hills, I’ll still push to get it up and going,” he said.
“I reckon there is room for another girls’ team, but it’s just that clubs don’t try, some clubs give up too easy on it.”
Only 11 players are needed for a Youth Girls side – which will cater for girls from age 13 up to 17 – and a minimum of 14 players is necessary for a Women’s side.
At a time in which Peta Searle has been appointed as the first female AFL coach, Cam has never been more fervent about the need for another female football team in the City of Casey.
“I believe that women should be out there playing sports. I didn’t think too much of it until I watched my first game of Youth Girls football, which would have been around four years ago. I went down and watched Noble Park and thought this is what I want to do,” Cam said.
“People say to me ‘why do you want to go and watch women’s football? Women shouldn’t play football.’
“Come down and watch a game, and then tell me they shouldn’t be playing football.
“Since I got a few of my mates to come down and watch a game, their jaws just dropped because of how good they play.”
For more information, or to get involved, contact Cam on 0422 638 245.
