Female football programs set to expand in Canterbury

The Canterbury District Soccer Football Association (Football Canterbury) has been awarded an $8,180 grant thanks to the NSW Football Legacy Fund.

To leverage the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Football Canterbury will host an introductory league for the 2023 Winter season to enlist new players. 

One of Football Canterbury’s goals is to tackle player retention, with the aim of using this introductory league to filter new players into 2023/2024 Summer football teams and keep them engaged and register for ongoing Winter seasons.

 “We are highly appreciative of the assistance from the NSW Government’s Football Legacy Program Fund,” said Andrew Morris, Technical and Game Development Manager, Football Canterbury.

“With the opportunities and programmes we are going to provide, we hope that the young girls and women from our clubs will continue to enjoy football year in, and year out and possibly pursue professional football pathways should it be a personal passion and long-term goal of theirs .”

To bolster this, another Inner West club, the Leichhardt Saints Football Club will be scaling up their Girls and Women’s Summer Soccer Program after they were also awarded $9895 as part of the NSW Government’s Football Legacy Program.  

The Leichhardt Saints Football Club has witnessed a steady increase in participants over the past few years and want to enhance and bolster the existing program as locals gear up for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.  

 “Our existing Girls and Women’s Summer Program focuses on the three F’s; fun, friends, and fitness. This is at the core of our ethos. We want the girls and women in the program to have fun and make friends in a safe and thriving environment,” said Annike Lindhout, Competitions Manager of the King George Park Summer Soccer.

“We’re extremely grateful for the grant and we aim to expand the existing program thanks to the assistance of the NSW Football Legacy Fund.”

 About the Legacy Fund Participation and Infrastructure Grants 

The NSW Government recently announced a $3.1 million investment into more than 100 grassroots football projects across the state to help improve facilities and run programs to boost player participation as part of the NSW Football Legacy Fund. 

The investment is intended to broaden female player options and increase participation opportunities, whilst enhancing football facilities and supporting infrastructure. This fund also aims to assist clubs in developing football programs at all levels through the construction or upgrading of community facilities, leadership, and development initiatives. 

As Australia prepares to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, strengthening the football community in NSW is key to matching the unprecedented level of interest in female football. The NSW Football Legacy Fund seeks to ensure it has the facilities and programming to match the buzz that the FIFA World Cup is generating for Australia’s next generation of future Matilda’s 

More information about the NSW Football Legacy Fund is available here. 

This web story is supported by the NSW Government under the NSW Football Legacy Program.