Launch of inaugural SANFL women’s competition

WOMEN’S football will take yet another giant step forward on Saturday when the inaugural SANFL women’s competitions launch.

WOMEN’S football will take yet another giant step forward on Saturday when the inaugural SANFL women’s competitions launch.

Hot on the heals of the first AFL women’s exhibition match and amid talk of fast-tracking moves to create a national competition, the SANFL will launch under-14 and under-16 competitions around the suburbs. All eight non-AFL aligned clubs will field teams in the competitions, with more than 300 girls registering their interest.

The leagues have been divided into northern and southern conferences, with three rounds to be played, followed by finals on September 12.

The competitions have been designed to complement rather than compete with the SA Women’s Football League and matches don’t clash.

SANFL female football co-ordinator Emma Gibson said the interest had been enormous and was further proof there was a strong appetite for opportunities for girls to play Australian football.

“We did a soft launch on Facebook, so that’s all it was, just a soft launch,’’ Gibson said.

“Two months to the day later, we’ve had more than 300 registrations.

“More than 200 of those girls have never played football before … the allure that the SANFL clubs do have in bringing new people out to the game … it’s an awesome sign for the future.”

Last weekend’s AFL exhibition match between the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne out-rated some AFL matches and peaked at 501,000 viewers nationally.

AFL chief Gillon McLachlan has flagged his aim of establishing a women’s Australian football competition of up to six teams within the next two years and believes there is enough talent to justify the project.

“It has to happen, it is only a question of when,” he said this week. “It was always a question of the depth, the talent, nationally and when that could happen. We think there is enough depth of talent … that we could have up to six teams by 2017.”

Kayla Smith, 12, will play in Norwood’s under-14 side tomorrow and was excited about the opportunity to represent the Redlegs in the northern conference.

“I think the girls can be just as good as the boys at football, so I think we deserve to have a league of our own,’’ she said.

“I’d love to play in a national league just for girls one day and I’m so happy the SANFL has started a girls’ league.”