By KRISTEN ALEBAKIS
GIRLS footy will be front and centre in the Western Region Football League next season and over the next few weeks we will be profiling all the clubs who will be fielding teams in our standalone competition.
Today, we get to learn more about the Caroline Springs Football Club…
It was a big year for the Caroline Springs Football Club.
The club secured its first ever senior premiership, claiming the Division 2 crown. Their Under-17B team also won the flag.
While it was a momentous season for the Lakers, 2017 promises to also be another historic year for the club.
The men’s senior side will play in the WRFL’s premier competition in Division 1 and for the first time the club is confident of fielding three girls teams with a possibility of also having a senior women’s team.
Caroline Springs’ women’s football coordinator Josie Asciak said the club’s girls program has continued to expand over the years.
“We had a core of girls already playing with siblings in junior footy and with talk of a 2015 girl’s football competition on the horizon, we organised to have a six week training clinic.
“This was a success as it attracted the interest of girls between the ages of 10 and 15.
“We were able to field two teams in our first year. In 2016, the teams progressed to Under-15's and Under-18's.
“Our girls have been very committed with most of them playing together for the past two years, they will continue to play together in 2017.”
Asciak says the club was very excited about the WRFL’s standalone girls competition and said she was looking forward to creating more opportunities for girls in the region to play football.
She said through their sponsorship with The Club, the Lakers had been able to secure the Collingwood Football Club as a partner of their female division.
“Some of the committee and the girls were excited to meet with Meg Hutchins (Football Operations Manager) from Collingwood FC when she paid us a visit at our club rooms,” Asciak said.
“Some of the girls were lucky enough to have a chat about football and the pathway this partnership will create for them. It's given them confidence and belief in what they are doing.”
Asciak said through their partnership with Collingwood, teams would have access to the Magpies’ facilities.
“Our coaching team and players will also be able to interact with the current CFC coaching team and listed players providing them with an insight to what it takes to coach and play at an elite,” she said.
“This will create a real sense of partnership, pathway and goal setting for our girls whether they're playing socially or if they choose to pursue an AFL career.”
For more information on how you can get involved with the Caroline Springs Football Club, contact Josie Asciak on 0408 547 733 or via josie@philipsauto.com.au or Terry Azzopardi on 0430 064 039 or via tazzopardi@smartline.com.au
For regular updates you can also visit the club’s Facebook page.
Last Modified on 10/11/2016 14:33