On Friday 5 May 2017, our Year 4 - 6 Girls Team made their debut for the Carine Junior Football Club, playing Kingsway at Grenville Reserve in Tuart Hill. The girls started preseason earlier this year with a small but committed number which has gradually grown to a sizeable group as the news spread far and wide of the Club's commitment to its first girls team.
With his Year 5 daughter joining the team, Jeremy Jury took on the coaching role and says it has been a really exciting experience. "Making the transition from coaching Year 10 boys to Year 4 - 6 girls has been really rewarding, and of course challenging in its own way. Some of the girls have played Auskick and Modified Rules and some have come from netball or other sports and have never kicked a footy. I'm so proud of all the girls and they are just so keen to be getting out there and playing footy."
Most of the Carine Junior Football Club Committee and a whole host of parents and supporters were there to cheer Jeremy and the girls on, as they ran through a banner created especially for the occasion. Club President, Damon Lonnie, held the banner aloft and said it was an historic moment for the Club. "Carine Junior Football Club is incredibly proud to welcome a girls team in 2017. With the popularity of female footy, we know more girls will come on board and we hope to field a Year 7 - 9 team in 2018 in addition to the Year 4 - 6 team."
The girls showed great sportsmanship in their first game, all taking turns to put on a jumper for Kingsway so the teams were even. It didn't matter which jumper they were wearing though, these girls went in for the ball and played hard, as you can see in the images, taken by Shania Ireland of SportsPix Photography.
It was terrific to see so many people present to show their support last Friday, Special mention should be made of James Weaver, coach of the Year 4 Cougars and a number of the players, who came down especially to watch team their fellow Cougar Jazmine play her first game for the girls. Jazzy will continue to play Year 4 Modified Rules in addition to the Year 4 - 6 girls team - go Jazzy!
The girls play at 4.45pm every Friday evening at Grenville Reserve in Yokine.
With 21 registered players and regular enquiries, we are confident our President's prediction about the growth of girls football at Carine will be correct. In fact, with female football going from strength to strength across Australia, it's more than likely we will field a Year 7 - 9 team and two Year 4 - 6 girls teams in 2018.
If you'd like to know more about girls football at Carine Junior Football Club, please contact Jennifer Jury on 0400 861 087.