Today we would like to acknowledge the Women’s Youth League and why it was established as part of our Female Football Week.
The Women’s Youth League was first introduced in the 2018 season for female players aged between 17 and 21.
Brad Walter (pictured RIGHT) is Thirroul’s vice president as well as co-coach for their Women’s Division 1 side.
He is also an essential part of the female development within FSC’s Women’s Council and was one of the councillors who helped establish the WYL.
In 2016, Thirroul were one of two teams that entered the Women’s Division 2 league due to being unable to fill an under-21s side.
Thirroul went onto competing in the Champions of Champions where they came up against a club who had major involvement in an intermediate league.
“At the Champions of Champions, I met a member from a club who had mentioned they were in an intermediate league,” Brad said.
“It was basically a youth league competition and consisted of late teens who wanted to continue their junior pathway into senior football.”
This idea was later proposed to the board of FSC in which it was greatly supported and is now run by both the Junior and Women’s Council.
The competition started off with eight teams and has now successfully jumped to ten teams.
Wollongong United, Warilla Wanderers and Shellharbour Scorpions were the inaugural clubs in the WYL and all three sides are now competing in the WD1.
“The progression within the WYL has been a massive success,” Brad explained.
“I believe that it has kept players in the game from juniors that have come into the Youth League and have later progressed into the WD1 competition, which is something that we want to continuously see and grow overtime.”
Female Football Week recognises those who helped create the Women’s Youth League and those who continue to support the competition through its success and continuous growth.
The WYL is a great way for clubs to get involved and is important for our female development throughout our community.
Currently, there are 60 teams in the Women’s competitions which is an 11-team increase on last season.
The importance of female football is growing immensely, and FSC encourages all clubs to continue their football pathway through the Women’s Youth League.
Story by Alison Dinh, on Twitter @alisondinh_