Former VFA champ Tony Pastore is thrilled his daughter Tia is kicking on with her football

Former VFA champion Tony Pastore is rapt at the growth of female football. Two of his daughters are playing, including Sandringham Dragons newcomer Tia.

As he watched his three daughters growing up, former VFA champion Tony Pastore couldn’t imagine being a “football father’’.

In fact, he admits with a laugh, once or twice he suggested to his wife, Lisa, they should have a fourth child and hope for a boy.

But the growth of female football is keeping the ex-Williamstown and Springvale player well occupied.

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His eldest daughter, Hannah, plays for Old Haileybury in the VAFA and was part of a premiership team last year under the coaching of former St Kilda captain Danny Frawley.

His third and youngest girl, 17-year-old Tia, began playing at St Bedes Mentone Tigers eight years ago.

Tia Pastore started at St Bedes Mentone Tigers eight years ago.

And she’s most promising: the Haileybury College student has been named in the Sandringham Dragons squad for the Victorian Under 18 Girls competition that kicks off this weekend.

“Hopefully she goes all right, but she’s got another year after this,’’ Pastore said.

“She’s going along nicely. The most important thing is she’s enjoying her footy. I’m just happy she’s out there having a kick.’’

Pastore said watching his daughters play football kept he and his wife busy but he never thought that would be the case.

“I did say to the lovely, “Why don’t we have one more, we might have a boy, I wouldn’t mind going to the footy’,’’ he said.

“Well, now I’ve got the two girls playing and all we do is go to the footy! We have two games a weekend plus Tia plays school footy for Haileybury. It’s full-on footy.’’

Pastore played 190 matches at Willy (and was named in their team of the century), 17 at Springvale and was part of three VFA premierships. He also had one senior game for Richmond.

Dragons coach Tamara Hyett.

All of his former clubs now run women’s teams in the VFL.

Pastore said he had been surprised at how quickly female football had grown.

“From half-a-dozen clubs four or five years ago when Tia started playing to so many clubs there’s not enough grounds … that’s fantastic progress,’’ he said.

In its third year the Under 18 Girls competition will have nine home-and-away rounds and a two-week finals series (Tasmania will play invitationals).

Twenty players were drafted from it at the end of last season.

Tamara Hyett will again coach the Dragons and has been included in the AFL Victoria She Can Coach program.

2019 Dragons list

Molly Denahy Maloney (Port Melb/Penleigh and Essendon Grammar)

Sophia Rothfield (Prahran/St Catherines)

Charli Murphy (St Peters/Bentleigh SC)

Ettienne Schober (Hampton Rovers/Caulfield Grammar)

Tia Pastore (St Bedes Mentone/Haileybury)

Ruby Woods (St Kilda City/Elwood College)

Summer Trim (Beaumaris/Haileybury)

Tilly Mottram (St Kilda City/Star of the Sea)

Mia Smith (St Kilda City/Haileybury)

Zara Guss (Richmond Central/Melbourne Girls College)

Taylah Grasso (St Peters/Alkira SC)

Celia Cody (St Kilda City/St Catherines)

Meg Baker (Camberwell/Loreto Toorak)

Bryanna Arnold (Caulfield Grammarians/Caulfield Grammar)

Jessica Stolz (East Malvern/Wesley College)

Emma Turner (Bentleigh/Star of the Sea)

Eliza McNamara (East Malvern/Melb Girls Grammar)

Steph Peacock (Hampton Rovers/Star of the Sea)

Nayley Borg (Port Melb/Albert Park College)

Sarah Hartwig (St Peters/Bentleigh College)

Chloe Saultry (St Bedes Mentone/Parkdale SC)

Bibi Wallace (East Brighton/Firbank Grammar)

Alice Burke (St Bedes Mentone/Haileybury)

Isabella Stutt (Port Melb/Loreto Toorak)

Winnie Laing (Port Melb/St Michaels Grammar)

Bella Eddey (Brighton Beach/Haileybury)

Aaliah Dawson (Wesley Collegians/Wesley College)

Kitty Smyth (St Kilda City/Haileybury)

Gemma Strangio (St Peters/McKinnon SC)

Charlotte Ryan (Beaumaris/Mentone Grammar)

Abbi Moloney (East Malvern Knights/Mentone Grammar)

Natasha Morris (Hampton Rovers/Brighton SC)

Marguerite Purcell (Caulfield Grammarians/Caulfield Grammar)

Daisey Walker (St Bedes Mentone/Mentone Girls SC)

Emma Stuber (St Peters/Bentleigh SC)

Lucy De Gleria Cade (Port Melb/Albert Park College)

Kiana Lynch (East Sandringham/Star of the Sea)

Pia Staltari (Old Brighton Grammarians/Our Lady of Sacred Heart)

Portia Pascuzzi (East Brighton/Firbank Grammar)

Lily Enders (East Malvern/MLC)

Charley Hodgson (East Brighton/Star of the Sea)

Chelsea Bowen (St Bedes Mentone/Seda College)

Taylah Tysoe (St Bedes Mentone/Mentone Girls SC)

Jada Daly (St Peters/Our Lady of Sacred Heart)

Summer Lee (Cheltenham Panthers/Mentone Girls SC)

Ebony Angelopoulos (Mordialloc Braeside/Killester)