The battle to wear the big-V jumper has officially begun, with over 130 of Victoria’s best Youth Girls players selected in the initial Victoria Country and Victoria Metro Youth Girls representative squads.
Nominated by AFL Victoria’s Youth Girls Academy coaching staff, the two squads will undergo weekly training sessions which will determine a final team of 27 players when the pair competes at the 2016 AFL National Youth Girls Championships.
Of the 73 players selected in the initial Vic Metro squad, Sandringham Youth Girls Academy has the most representatives (23), followed by Dandenong (21) and Calder Cannons (20), while Gippsland Power (12) and Geelong Western (11) form the majority of the 65-player Vic Country squad.
The Championships, which are to be played in Melbourne from May 2- 5, are the pinnacle competition for young female footballers aged between 15-18 years.
Nine teams from across Australia will compete in this year’s event, with both Vic Country and Vic Metro to play in Division One against Western Australia and Queensland, while South Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania, NSW/ACT and Woomeras (Indigenous team) will form Division Two.
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For a complete list of the initial Vic Metro and Vic Country Youth Girl representative squads,CLICK HERE
Leading the Vic Metro side in his third and final year as head coach is long time Dandenong Stingrays Under 18 TAC Cup assistant coach, Wayne Sampson.
Saddling up alongside Sampson is senior assistant coach, Damien Keeping (Calder Cannons), former Under 18 Victorian vice-captain and former Vic Country assistant coach, Alexandra Saundry as assistant coach, while former Victorian player Jen Plumb will serve as the head trainer for the ninth consecutive year.
Hoping to put a dent in Vic Metro’s campaign is new Vic Country head coach Scott Gowans.
Having held the assistant coaching role with the Vic Metro Youth Girls squad for the past two years, Gowans is ready to lead a team of his own.
Murray Bushrangers coach Sam Ahmet will take on the Vic Country senior assistant position after a successful first year in the program last season, while Melbourne Football Club player Bree White and former Vic Country Under 18 captain Vanessa Lewicki, have been named as assistants.
AFL Victoria Female Football Development Manager, Chyloe Kurdas said the number of former players participating in the National Championships as staff was a credit to the program’s ability and commitment to producing young female leaders.
“Five members of our coaching staff are former Victorian Youth Girl representative players, so to have them come back to teach the next crop of young female stars is extremely pleasing.
“Our Youth Girls Academy programs have a great emphasis on empowering women and girls through not only developing our players’ football skills, but their off-field qualities as young leaders.
“To have a number of our past players streamline into other areas of football such as coaching, team managing or in sports training is a credit to the program and its staff.”
The North Melbourne and Richmond Football Clubs have continued their official training venue partnerships with the Vic Country and Metro teams respectively, allowing our most promising Youth Girls players access to some of the best facilities in Victoria.
Screening days for both squads will be held in the lead up to the National Championships, with Vic Country to hold their event on Sunday February 7 at the North Melbourne Football Club, and Vic Metro to be held at Richmond Football Club on March 4.
Screening day registrations can be completed here:
For more information on how you can get involved in Youth Girls football, follow thisLINK
Last Modified on 20/01/2016 10:54