Based at Essendon's Windy Hill, the AFL Victoria Youth Girls Academy will host Victoria's most promising 33 players and 11 field umpires.
Essendon's Angus Monfries (pictured left with player Alicia Eva and umpire Melissa Burns), St Albans VWFL player Shannon McFerran and AFL goal umpire Chelsea Roffey (pictured below) are the Academy's ambassadors and will give the group an understanding of what is required at the elite level.
The girls, aged 14-18 years, will receive the best in expert coaching from the likes of Jason McCartney, Jarrod Molloy, Darren Flannigan and Leon Harris, covering everything from skill development to fitness.
There will also be a major focus on personal development off the field, with seminars covering leadership, media training and relationships.
"The main purpose of the Academy is to ensure that AFL Victoria is developing footballers who provide great leadership and quality contributions to our community, both on and off field", AFL Victoria Female Football Development Manager Chyloe Kurdas said.
The girls selected are revered by their peers and have a role in encouraging their peers in their lives.
Essendon footballer and Academy ambassador Angus Monfries backed the initiative.
"The Youth Girls Academy is a fantastic initiative by AFL Victoria and we at the Essendon Football Club are very privileged to be involved", Monfries said.
"I hope it encourages more young females to get involved in a sport that touches the lives of many Australians."
Kurdas said the Academy was established for a number of reasons including:
- To provide additional opportunities and challenges to our most promising youth female players and field umpires.
- To provide further on and off field development to complement their roles as leaders within their own clubs/leagues, and to encourage them to be leaders in their local communities.
- To provide additional training to enhance their knowledge and grow the standard of football played within the Youth Girls competition.
- To prepare the players and umpires for senior football opportunities.
Last year, Victoria's Youth Girls played its first representative matches, defeating Queensland.
Kurdas said the players in the Academy would certainly be the next generation of Victorian representatives.
She added the Academy in addition to state representation would also present football as a more attractive option in the face of competition from other sports.
"Offering our most promising Youth Girls opportunities and challenges will assist us in greater recruitment of girls to the game and greater retention once they're here", Kurdas said.
"If we can encourage players with elite potential to the female game and harness that from a younger age, we will be able to further enhance the quality and strength of both senior and youth aged competitions".
It is not just about playing either, with the Academy to guide to our aspiring female umpires.
"The umpiring stream was included to help meet the imbalance in female participation rates in field umpiring", Kurdas said.
"We've never had a female field umpire in the VFL and we hope that through the additional training, development and opportunities, the girls and women identified will help to meet that goal".
They will enjoy opportunities to umpire in different competitions, including representative games.
In future, the Academy will add coaching, boundary and goal umpiring to its program.
Youth Girls Academy Members - Players
Alex Agrotis
Monique Bastiaan
Kristy Borg
Lauren Camilleri
Rhiannon Carra
Sera Catania (Sunbury)
Nicole Cicciari
Courtney Clarkson
Rachel Cormick
Amy Davis
Kara Donnellan
Michelle Donnelly
Alicia Eva
Alicia Heins
Elle Inguanti
Laura Kane
Mariah Marshall
Jessica Newman
Rebecca Pearce
Chloe Peers
Holly Pink
Jennifer Plumb
Georgia Punton
Renae Schwarze
Katherine Sivewright
Candace Smith
Yasmin Speekman
Ashleigh Stafford
Mandi Watts
Kirsty White
Sian Wilson
Youth Girls Academy Members - Umpires
Stacey Bourke
Eliza Broadbent
Melissa Burns
Jayde Daly
Niki Duckstein
Emily Estcourt
Kirra Miriklis
Jade Pawley
Dale Robinson
Marinella Salafia
Ainslee Watkins
Last Modified on 23/02/2009 12:23