Northbridge FC kicking goals for girls
Six teams from Northbridge FC will make their way to the Central Tablelands taking part in the annual Proctor Cup on the 7th and 8th of March.
The Proctor Park Challenge held in Bathurst, is a historic pre-season Football NSW tournament for Ladies in the age groups of 12, 13, 15, and 17.
Northbridge FC General Manager and Head of Girls Development Kym Griffin was eagerly anticipating the tournament which provided a good learning curve for the girls.
“We like our teams to get as much experience as possible, especially against quality opposition.
“This year we will send our 3 Junior Football NSW Teams plus 3 Academy Teams.”
It will be one of two major tournaments Northbridge FC will take part in as they have also registered for the Kanga Cup in the Nation’s Capital in July.
“We actively promote teams to enter well run competitions and we will have 9 Girls Academy Teams going to the Kanga Cup in Canberra this year as well.”
The North Shore based club has been busy promoting the wonderful game to female participants and has always preached equality with regards to the girls sharing the spotlight with the boys.
“Football for girls has always been treated evenly at Northbridge, the girls have the same training schedule as the boys and share the same core coaching group.”
Griffin also stated the constant push the club has with developing closer links with their local Association.
“We look to improve the quality of football locally and in season 2014 Northbridge and the Northern Suburbs Football Association successfully launched the Diamond League for girls, the first local competition based on representative football development standards. “
Griffin added that grassroots football also played an important role in the development of footballers.
“Stronger local competitions are the future, more clubs having a long term consistent approach to football development for girls, not just the occasional talented dad travelling through the age groups.”
The Northern Suburbs Football Association recorded a growth last season of almost 5% on registered players. They also have just under 3500 female footballers playing the game in the association and this has seen an increase in coaches as well.
“We introduced professional coaching about 6 years ago and the girls enjoyed it as the sessions were really well designed and the parents clearly saw the improvement in play.
“As a result of this, more and more teams are looking for quality coaches.
“We promote quality coaching at all levels and research tells us that it keeps the girls in the game longer, sets them up for a lifetime of football enjoyment.”
Recently, Northbridge FC aligned themselves with Hyundai A-League club Central Coast Mariners in what they believe will improve coaching and playing.
“We now share technical coaching with them (Central Coast Mariners), this expertise will benefit girls at both FNSW and Club level at Northbridge FC.”
-By Nikola Pozder
