Faith girls armed with tips from Broncos star, ready to tackle league competition
Faith’s newest team – a group of under-13 girls – are eager to take to the field following a training session with Broncos star Ali Brigginshaw.
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Training with Brisbane Broncos halfback Ali Brigginshaw was a dream come true for a group of Faith Lutheran College girls.
Brigginshaw’s visit to Faith Lutheran College last Friday helped the under-13 girl’s rugby league team develop their skills and sportsmanship ahead of their first competitive year of football.
Working with the Broncos star was particularly inspiring for Year 7 student Aliya Hassienden, who said she’d looked up to the rugby league star throughout her childhood.
“I’ve always looked up to Ali,” Hassienden said.
“When I was young, I thought she looked like me and I loved playing football.
“I’ve always wanted to do a training session with Ali – it’s great she’s come to Faith.
“Faith has given us a program and an opportunity.”
The Total Rugby program has allowed the college’s youngest girls to take to the field, learn skills and develop as leading sportswomen.
For Hassienden, the program is not only helping her achieve her dreams of play for her school, and one day for Broncos, but also provides her the opportunity to work on emotional skills.
“With football, I know when passing you should call names — I’m really bad with talking with my anxiety and names,” she said.
“Footy helps me with my anger issues as well because I can use the game to get rid of them.”
Faith sports captain Hailey Kellam said the program was a great stepping stone for the girls.
“Before this, we would have to travel an hour either way for girls to play any football,” Hailey said.
Faith’s head of sport Kale Reed said the school had always envisioned girls would become part of the Total Rugby program.
“At the end of 2020, we had a whisper we had a number of enrolments from girls that had an interest in rugby,” he said.
The school appointed a coach and two assistant coaches and held training sessions during the Christmas school holidays.
“We had girls that hadn’t even started high school already attending training,” Reed said.
Girls and boys are both treated equally in the league program: both train twice a week, and have the same funding, opportunities and training shirts.
“What we have seen is the girls are the ones driving the program, they’re getting more numbers down for training,” Reed said.
The school’s plan is to develop the girl’s league side under-13 up, so the girls can progress through the levels.
In addition, new students to the college, both boys and girls, can apply for Total Rugby scholarships.
“We have a philosophy that we are trying to build the person, not the player,” Reed said.
“We want them to be sportsmen and women, and whatever they go on to be, we want to build the characteristics of the person.”
He said if the footballers made Met West, Western Rangers or even Queensland teams, it would be a bonus.
Originally published as Faith girls armed with tips from Broncos star, ready to tackle league competition
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