Image L-R: Eve Muir Wilson, Adelaide White, and Hannah Lovell.
A new competition in Northern Tasmania will provide another avenue for girls to start their football journey while supporting the development of the girl’s community football pathway.
AFL Tasmania, working in partnership with the Northern Tasmanian Junior Football Association (NTJFA), will deliver a new Under 10 Girls Pilot Competition in Launceston. Spread over five weeks the competition will begin in mid-February, using modified rules including smaller teams, 10-minute quarters and no tackling.
The free competition will enable more young girls to participate in Australia’s game as participation numbers grow across Tasmania.
NTJFA President Josh Nast says the league has a proud history of inclusion, providing pathways for girls to play AFL in the North.
“Since our first official girls’ competition in 2016, we’ve seen steady growth of girls playing AFL in the NTJFA. In fact, numbers have tripled since 2016, and female participation is now at 620 girls which represents 30% of all participants in our competition.
“This provides the clearest indication that our girls just want to play the game we all love! This under 10 competitions will provide a much-needed introductory pathway to young girls who are looking to play AFL in a competition setting for the first time.”
He remains dedicated to providing pathways for women and girls to stay connected to community through football, highlighting a star player that has come up through the league to make it onto the big stage.
“Our girls have some wonderful role models such as Mia King’s journey into the AFLW, Mia started her football career in the inaugural NTJFA competition back in 2016 and is now playing in the AFLW Grand Final this weekend. And watching the excitement of Tunisha Kikoak drafted to the AFLW in 2024 it shows our girls Northern Tasmania is well and truly on the map when it comes to AFL”
AFL Tasmania Women and Girls Community Football Lead Sophie Wheeler said the Under 10 Girls Pilot Competition is a great addition to the NTJFA's Girls Community Football pathway.
“This is a pivotal step to be able to support sustainable growth for women & girls’ football in Northern Tasmania. Introducing this earlier all-girls offering with modified rules allows for a more gradual transition for girls participating in Auskick and Superkick into structured football.
She said changes to the existing competition structure will help keep girls in the game.
“With the NTJFA's previous Under 11 Girls competition also moving to Under 12s, this will help to minimise the gap between Under 11s and Under 14s, where we have seen significant dropout rates for girls in previous seasons.
“These adjustments will provide girls in the North with more ways to engage in our great game at a level that aligns to their abilities and experience.”
For more information or to register click here: https://www.playhq.com/search?page=1&query=ntjfa&sports=AFL&types=CLUB