Words: Staff Writers

Football Queensland has confirmed the introduction of an Under 17 Girls division for the PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland 2017 season.

The new division follows consultation with existing PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Women’s licence holders that identified the need for an age group to bridge the Under 15 Girls and the Women’s competition.

It is anticipated that the new age division will comprise eight (8) teams in its initial year, with existing licence holders invited to nominate their interest in fielding sides for the new division in coming weeks.

The additional age group follows a review of the structure of the Women’s competition, which saw a Youth Women’s division in its inaugural season in 2015.

With the new age group the competition will return to four age groups – Under 13 Girls, Under 15 Girls, Under 17 Girls and Women’s.

Football Queensland CEO Geoff Foster expressed his delight in the latest move to strengthen the development pathway for Queensland’s talented female footballers.

“The number of players graduating from the NPL Under 15 Girls competition enables us to introduce the Under 17 Girls age group, which lines up with the age groups in FFA’s national platform,” Mr Foster said.

“This is a significant progression in the player pathway in Queensland and I expect there to be plenty of interest from our NPL clubs to add an Under 17 Girls team to their clubs.”