FEMALE FOOTBALL WEEK | EMI SKOPAL

Emi Skopal WEB

Today as part of our Female Football Week we would like to acknowledge Emi Skopal who is a Football South Coast Board Member and Head of the Women’s Council.

Emi Skopal is currently the Head of the FSC Women’s Council and has been the Secretary of the Council since 2011.

Emi is also a Board member for Football South Coast and is a part of the general committee.

A day in her life varies between several different roles that help improve the female football growth within the community.

Emi still finds the time to have a kick as she is currently playing for the South Coast Flame in the Women’s Division 1.

Her football career started at the age of five where she played with an all-boys team in Queensland before she climbed her way up the ranks and played for an all-girls representative side in Canberra for several years.

“Unfortunately, back then there were no girls’ teams to start off with but playing with boys wasn’t all bad,” she said.

“I was always the smallest in the team growing up, so playing with boys in my first years of football really did make me strong and actually helped me physically.”

It wasn’t long after until she began her exercise science degree at the University of Wollongong where she joined UOW FC throughout the whole of her studies before moving to Wollongong Olympic and Fernhill in her later years.

Football for females has changed positively within the last few years.

Emi has been a member of the Council that has really helped female football grow overtime and continues to support them on a day-to-day basis.

She is always busy communicating amongst clubs, organising events, charity rounds for the community and always attends matches over the weekends to help make necessary changes and to meet and greet clubs.

“Back in the day you weren’t able to find an all-girls football team,” Emi said.

“Today, girls from the age of four and five-years-old are eligible to play with their friends all the way up into their older years, whether this is with MiniRoos, SAP, a local team or even a representative side.”

“Females have so many opportunities to play football now and I’m hoping this is something that will continue to increase.”

Emi has been a part of massive changes within the female football development over the past few years.

She has been involved with the establishment and support of the Women’s Youth League that formed in 2018 and with the Over-30s competition.

“Starting up these competitions has created a pathway for females from juniors to Youth Grade to Women’s Division 1 and now through to the Over-30s where women can still play in a competitive league but also enjoy themselves and be amongst a social setting,” Emi said.

Emi and her team are always doing their utmost to try and continue a positive change in the female football community not only on the pitch, but off the pitch as well.

Emi is a true role model and has inspired more and more females to get involved within all aspects of the game.

She has shown true female empowerment within the Women’s Council and her involvement with FSC, local clubs and associations.

Story by Alison Dinh, on Twitter @alisondinh_

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