BOND WOMEN’S FOOTY
Women across the nation are jumping at the chance to get actively involved in Aussie rules and are playing before sellout crowds THIS year is shaping up to be one of the most memorable for women’s sport in Australia.
Women are playing Australian rules professionally for the first time, drawing sellout crowds and outstanding TV ratings.
The new competition is a leap forward that has been a long time in the making. Australian football has always appealed to women, with women playing for 102 years.
Last year, there was a 19 per cent growth in total female participation and a 56 per cent increase in the number of female community teams.
There are now more than 53,400 girls playing NAB AFL Auskick and females now account for 27 per cent of all participants.
The women’s national AFL competition has eight teams.
These are: Adelaide, Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Greater Western Sydney, Melbourne and Western Bulldogs. The women’s AFL debuted on February 3 and saw record attendance for female sport, with full seat capacity at the game.
Bond University’s team is part of this growth in women’s Aussie rules. Bond’s women’s team, now in its third year, has advanced and developed quickly over its short history.
In 2016, the team only missed the top six of the 13-team league on percentage.
This year the team hopes to take on and defeat its rivals to achieve premiership glory.
Bond recently appointed David Ashkar to coach the team. David, whose extensive coaching experience includes the Gold Coast Suns U16s academy and the Queensland U18s men’s team, will prove a valuable coach and mentor to the university team.
Bond player Isabella Cerutti said she thought all of the support being provided for women was promising.
“It’s paving the way for women’s equality in sport,” Isabella said.
Another player, Kate Reynolds, said there had been nothing like this for women’s sport before.
“It is changing the hearts and minds of the Australian public in terms of women’s ability to play sport,” Kate said.
Bond University recently became the official coaches partner of the Brisbane Lions Women’s team. Bond’s executive director of sport, Garry Nucifora, said the university’s branding would appear on the coaches’ apparel and media backdrop.
“What we have witnessed recently is the nation getting behind women’s football to an extent never seen before,” Garry said.
“Bond University is proud to cement its support of women’s AFL through this partnership with the Brisbane Lions.”
The establishment of the national women’s league has provided a platform to inspire females and provide another avenue for AFL fans to enjoy the sport.
There is confidence that the momentum of women’s football will grow as women gain experience and the talent pool widens. Hopefully in years to come, it will be the norm to see women playing AFL.