NEWS: GRFC Women’s league could expand by up to 4 new teams in 2017!
THE PHENOMENAL growth of the Women’s game in recent years is expected to continue in 2017 with the two tiered GRFC Women’s competition set to significantly expand with the addition of at least two and possibly up to four new Senior teams!
Reigning Division 1 champions Deakin Ducks, buoyed by the recent announcement its Senior Men’s section has been accepted into next year’s FFV Men’s State League Five competition, have signalled their intention to field an extra side in Division Two, which would bring the number of Senior Women’s teams in its ‘pond’ to three.
In addition to that, debutante club FC Leopold is looking highly likely to field at least one Women’s team in its inaugural season, judging by the encouraging levels of interest at its recent ‘Come and Try’ days at its Estuary Estate Reserve complex.
Geelong Rangers, who fielded the first ever women’s team in Geelong way back in the 1990’s, has launched a major off field campaign to field a Senior Women’s side in 2017, as has Breakwater Eagles, which fielded a team in the Women’s comp two years ago.
All of the above mentioned teams would participate in Division 2, which would see the Division 1 competition almost double in size from a six-team format in 2016 to a possible 10-team league in 2017.
If that was to be the case, last year’s Division Two premiers Barwon Heads and runners-up Surf Coast would move up to the elite division, as would third placed Corio Bay and either Deakin’s second team or the 5th placed Golden Plains.
The number of women in the GRFC Women’s leagues could be further boosted in 2017 with the inaugural Geelong Girls’ Gala event (see attached image) at Lara United in mid February to be utilised as a major pre-season recruiting drive for attracting new female players of the round ball game.
With regards to Juniors competitions, a newly created U12s Girls’ league in 2017 is set to complement a new U15s division, a spin-off from last season’s U14s league.
The intention is to then grow and field U12s, U14s and U16s Girls’ leagues in 2018, as part of a two year vision conceptualised by the GRFC Women’s Taskforce created earlier this year to promote and encourage female participation in the sport locally.
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