Rochester Junior Football Club experienced a watershed moment on Friday night when, under lights at Ewing Park in Bendigo, the Tigers’ under-12 girls’ side ran out on to the field for the first time against Marong.
The inaugural girls’ side will compete in the Bendigo Junior Football League’s nine-team strong competition this season, providing a brilliant opportunity for girls in the region to become involved in the game.
Virtually all of the members received their first taste of competitive football during Friday night’s season-opener.
While the result didn’t quite go the way of Rochester, coach Tom Mangan was thrilled that the girls were able to get out on to the field, praising the way the group conducted itself on an historic night for the club.
“(It went) really well, we had massive support,” he said.
“There were lots of people that came over to watch and cheer on the girls for the night.
“The girls were really excited before we started, there was lots of energy around and then when they were out there playing, they did themselves and the club really proud.
“They demonstrated great skills, great attack on the ball and great sportsmanship as well.”
A first up win would have been a dream result, but there’s no dwelling on the outcome.
Mangan said the overall goal for the group was first and foremost to simply enjoy playing the game.
“The big focus for the team, and myself, has been on enjoyment, and then learning,” he said.
“We have been training for a fair while now and the girls have come a long way, so they are really having fun at training, which is what we want.
“They're eager to learn and improve, which is really rewarding, and it should be great throughout the season to see them continue to improve as well.”
The inaugural girls’ side was born out of the all-girls Auskick group that Rochester ran last year, which is also how Mangan became involved in the set-up.
His daughter Zoe was part of the Auskick group and was one of many that expressed interest in playing competitively, with Mangan putting his hand up to help the girls get out on to the field.
“It's a great opportunity,” he said of the under-12s’ team.
“My daughter participated in the all-girls Auskick group with Rochy, which got us across to Rochy, because otherwise she wouldn't be doing Auskick.
“When we heard that they were trying to get a team up and running, Zoe was very keen to jump on board, and then they needed a coach, so I was more than happy to give the girls the opportunity.
“Most of the girls wouldn't be playing footy if there wasn't an all-girls team.”
There has been a massive demand for the team, too.
Numbers well in excess of what’s required to field a team regularly train, with girls who are too young or simply wanting to learn more about the game also hitting the track throughout the week.
“Numbers are really good. We’ve got 17 on our books, which is fantastic. We only play 12-a-side,” Mangan said.
“And it's continuing to develop. We’ve got our 17 players that are registered with us, but then we’ve got another probably six or more girls that come along and train.
“(There are) some that are older and just interested in coming for training, and then some that are younger that are too young to play yet, but are really keen to get involved.
“We're trying to foster that as much as we can to keep building for the future.”