Junior girls take to the football field with inclusive club

Being well on their way to filling two junior girls football teams, a Sunshine Coast club is kicking goals.

The Coolum football club is on their way to filling two junior girls teams. Pictured, Scarlett Clayton, 10, Adria Bottecchia, 12, Mya Bottecchia, 11. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily.

BEING well on their way to filling two junior girls football teams, the Coolum Football Club is kicking goals.

Last year the club had a 13 per cent increase in club membership, with about 500 members across a variety of age groups.

But filling junior girls teams has been a challenge since 2014.

With an under-12 team filled and an under-14 team within reach, female football players like Adria Bottechia, 12, are thrilled.

"I love to play football because it is a game that is both exciting to watch and to play. Both my brothers have played for many years and every game I have watched has drawn me into the sport more," she said.

"I feel excited that the Coolum Football Club has been able to fill a girls soccer team because it gives a chance to many young girls such as myself to play the sport they love and also being able to do it alongside same sex and age people."

Club secretary of two years, Elyse Duffy, said developing opportunities for girls to play football had been a priority for the club.

"We don't want any gender to feel that they're unable to or not provided with an opportunity to play any given sport. We have such fantastic, talented girls and women out there, waiting for opportunities," she said.

"But as a male-dominated sport, it can be off-putting for girls to join a majority boy team and that's why we're trying to open up opportunities for girls to get involved in the sport, in an inclusive and supportive environment."

Coolum Football Club premier women's coach Trina Elkington, who is a strong advocate for getting teenage girls involved in football, said the growth of female participation in other sports had made filling teams hard.

"We haven't had juniors for years so it's promising, but it hasn't been easy," she said.

"I think that there is a lot more variety out there for the girls. They have other sports like netball, and AFL and rugby league is starting to come into play very heavily and from the top they are putting a lot of emphasis on female sport."

Mrs Duffy said having the junior teams would be the start of a new future for the club.

"We really want to foster the relationship between the senior women and our junior girls, and build connections between the two, like we have with our men's teams. Through building these relationships, we hope to guide the junior girls right through the junior competitive divisions, up to the senior women's teams eventually," she said.

To sign up visit coolumfc.com.au.