The Riverine Herald - Football and Netball
YOUTH GIRLS
Northern Country Women’s League Youth Girls competition set for exciting 10th season
The 2023 season will mark 10 years of Youth Girls football in the Goulburn Valley — and all signs point to this being one of the most exciting in the competition’s history.
Having worked through the battles of the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus shifts from survival to expansion, with Nathalia’s return to the ranks making this year’s edition a fiveteam league.
Flying the flag for Shepparton are the Swans, who claimed their inaugural Youth Girls premiership in 2022, and a United program that has been a breeding ground for AFLW talent in recent years.
Up north Echuca United and Moama will represent the twin towns, with the latter itching for revenge after a grand final defeat last year.
The Purples will be looking to feed off their recent success in the senior women’s competition as they take to the Youth Girls field for the first time since 2019.
The continuation of a new post-COVID-19 era in Youth Girls football, AFL Goulburn Murray female football advocate Dean Walton said this season would set the foundation for an exciting future.
“Our main goal this year is to rejuvenate the Youth Girls competition, through the COVID times we lost a few teams, but I think now that is starting to turn which is great,” Walton said.
“I think the clubs will have younger lists which is really good for moving forward into the future and getting the numbers back to what they were three or four years ago.
“We are hoping this season inspires other clubs around the region to get involved.”