North West Sydney Football set to attract more female footballers in 2022
With the FIFA Women’s World Cup arriving on Australian shores in 2023, the North West Sydney Football (NWSF) is looking to capitalise on the explosion in interest in female football to create more opportunities for the girls and women in north west Sydney to engage in the game as players, coaches, administrators and referees.
“This will be a once in a lifetime experience, for some, to embrace one of the biggest international events on the planet” newly appointed NWSF CEO Jeremy Toivonen stated.
“The association and its members Clubs have established a Women’s World Cup 2023 and Beyond Working Party, which is establishing and driving our strategy for the women’s game pre- and post-World Cup,” he said.
“The Working Party aims to engage females to their club committees, increase player participation, recruiting more women’s referees, and into the coaching space as well.”
“The 2023 season will also see a Women’s Premier League competition introduced to the region which will no doubt be embraced by the community.”
“Other initiatives will include a five-part series of webinars on female football, on-line resources and the distribution of survey’s to all members on how to improve the experience and products provided to all females.”
There will also be greater opportunities for new players to enjoy football in North West Sydney amongst the 34 clubs. NWSF will look to expand on existing products to offer greater choice for people who want to play football.
These opportunities are not just limited to girls, but those who might like to take up Walking and Master’s Football. These will allow anyone to partake in these non-traditional but very enjoyable forms of the game.
“We’re really trying to evolve what we already have – and that involves looking at a strategy that addresses the geography or our region, non traditional facilities and of course the social elements of the game,” Toivonen said.
“We are also approaching local Councils to partner with us to embrace areas of aging populations and embedding football into our region. This is a very exciting initiative for us to embrace not only as a football but wider community.”
Another key initiative that has recent come to fruition is the merger of the two representative clubs – which has previously been gender specific – under the one roof and name of NWS Spirt FC.
“One of the core strategies that the Association board has established, is to support representative pathways for both males and females, and to have them aligned as one entity is obviously a massive achievement, for all concerned” he said.
Toivonen said the merger also set the tone for further changes to come as the NWSF seeks greater female engagement across the game.
With an expanded football offering in 2022, there is no shortage of opportunities for those looking to get back on the park and involved in healthy sporting activity after a disrupted 2021.
To find your next football club, head to http://www.nwsf.com.au/clubs to see which clubs are in your postcode.
Check out which clubs you can register for in the NWSF area below.
