Last Sunday, 18 August, over 170 young female footballers aged five to 11 from Alstonville FC, Dunoon FC, Pottsville Beach FC, Kyogle SC, Goonellabah Hornets, Lismore Thistles congregated at Byron Bay FC for an ALDI MiniRoos Girls Only Carnival in a day full of fun, laughter and enjoyment.
The carnival catered for a mix of girls-only ALDI MiniRoos teams and girls who generally play in the mixed format but predominately with boys, raising awareness for the opportunities that are alive in our game for female participation.
The day provided all the young footballers a chance to gain a different experience of the game and many parents and coaches commented on how positively they played and how their confidence to try new things and play in new positions grew as the matches progressed.
Junior Coordinator at Byron Bay FC, Kerry Northcott, said it was terrific to have an event that was purely focused on female football.
“It was a great chance for the girls to play football with and against other girls’ teams in an atmosphere that was all about them,” Northcott said.
“On Saturdays they are often the one game in amongst a sea of boys so at the carnival they could see how important they are to our game and many took the opportunity to showcase what they can do.”
The ALDI MiniRoos for Girls format has grown significantly in the Football Far North Coast zone in recent seasons having progressing from five teams to nearly 40. Many of the players have been sitting on the sidelines watching their brothers play but once they gave it a go, the girls absolutely loved it and encourage their friends to play as well.
The carnival is set to be held again next season and now that it is established, Byron Bay FC hope to continue the growth and have more teams from outside the zone participate and maybe even introduce some other features on the day.
