By JARROD POTTER
THE next chapter in Youth Girls football kicked off Sunday morning as the South East Juniors (SEJ) commenced its under-12 girls competition.
As part of an expansion of the Youth Girls competition the South East Juniors have expanded the opportunities for young, female footballers in the south-east.
The players were up and about and took the field at Pakenham for their first sanctioned matches on Sunday, as Beaconsfield, Timbarra, Cranbourne and Narre Warren played two games apiece at the SEJ’s Little Demons Day.
CLICK HERE for all the pictures from the first weekend’s under-12 matches
Beaconsfield coach Georgia Anderson – herself a senior Youth Girls champion and dual-premiership player – said it was an amazing feeling to give the next generation of up-and-coming female footballers the opportunity she didn’t have at their age.
“Awesome – they played really well, had a high skill level and that was amazing considering only one girl had ever played footy before,” Anderson said.
“No matter what the scoreboard was, they had a massive grin on their face and it meant a lot as it’s something I always wanted when I was a little kid.
“It nudged my heart a bit as I knew I was doing something really good for them and it stuck by me as it was something I wish I had as kid.”
Even the mateship and community which has sprung up between the four inaugural teams has impressed Anderson and she believes the under-12 competition is set to go from strength to strength, especially next week when the home-and-away season begins in earnest.
We gave Timbarra a few of our girls to level up the teams and they participated in our warm ups were great to have around,” Anderson said.
“The camaraderie around all four teams and seeing the girls smile throughout the day.
“I’m excited to see the girls development, especially this week to last, and see them have fun again in a bit more of a competitive environment as the real season starts now.”
Anderson highlighted the efforts of her star trio, Jasmine Nation, Jemima Sheedy and Sydney Traa and also thought Timbarra’s Sammy Price was another player to watch out for in the competition.
Anderson wanted to commend the other SEJ under-12 Youth Girls coaches for putting their hands up and the help of all the volunteers for getting the day together.
SEJ general manager Shaun Connell said the under-12 girls competition was a booming success so far and any clubs that are interested in putting sides into the competition this year can still do so throughout the season.
“We’re looking forward to the continual growth of under-12 girls in this area – it’s one of our key strategies in building the Youth Girls competition,” Connell said.
“Been a lot of hard work by the clubs that have got it going, and we’d be happy to add teams to it throughout the year, so if anyone is interested, feel free to contact us.”
“We have one of the highest rates of female participation in mixed football or female football and to be introduced to Youth Girls through the under-12 girls competition is another big goal for us.
“Our ultimate aim is to have under-12, under-15, and under-18s Youth Girls competitions and since we’re the oldest youth girls competition in Australia, we need to continue to underpin our growth by making it easier for girls to get involved at an age-appropriate level.”
For more information about pulling on the boots as the next SEJ Youth Girls champion, or helping to get your daughter involved with Youth Girls football – contact the South East Juniors at operations@southeastjuniors.com.au or on 5995 0555.
