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Written by: Morgan Frendin 13/08/2022
For the first time in Panthers history, every single girls/woman’s team has achieved Finals Footy. This achievement has come through hard work and determination from all those involved in growing female football around the Club. It has been a constant process in the last 5 years from the ground up in achieving record numbers. From 2018 when the under 11 Girls had just 1 team to now having 3 plus and flourishing U6, U8 & U9 contingent, there is still plenty more growth expected to come.
This year we have seen record numbers for school district representation for AFL with 11 girls making regional Representative teams across Met East, West and North, with a special shout out to one of our very own, under 13’s Maya Normington, who represented Queensland as Captain of the state side.
The number of Morningside girls being invited into the Brisbane Lions Academy continues to grow as well with 2022 seeing Laura Roy, Coco Garton, Lucy McCormick, Grace Roberts-White and Guiles Simionato in Level 3 of the program, Hano Tuitahi, Aiobha Lynch and Zoe Petrides in Level 2 and Ruby Strutton, Lucinda Callaghan, Emma Stevens, Emma Bosilijevac and Olivia Goodwin all joining this year in Level 1. This is truly a credit to the girls and the effort they have committed to their craft.
U17 players Laura & Grace were also named in this seasons Academy Representative team. Laura was also proudly named in the Queensland State Team & the NAB National Futures Team. Our young gun Hano Tuitahi was named in the U15 National Medley Multi Cultural Team and played in this years exhibition match against the First Nations Woomeras.
The growth of the game for women and girls is not only being seen on the field, but off the field as well with three teams at the Panthers being led and coached by women. Our U9 Red, U11 Black, and U13 Red teams all led by a Female Coach, Assistant Coach and Team Manager.
It’s been great to see the support of senior women’s players who regularly turn up as trainers, runners, and water carriers for our Junior and Youth teams, again confirming a brilliant budding culture that is forming at the Morningside Panthers of kindness generosity and support for everyone around them.
It’s through hard work and the support of each other that we as a club are seeing great growth. We see this directly with many of the girls supporting the Junior Field Set Up and game management, with many early starts and long days every Saturday to set out and reset fields. Without their support the junior games would not have seen such a smooth game day experience as they did this year.
Bec Goodwin the head of the Girls Junior & Youth Football Department had this to say on what she has seen in the last few years regarding women’s growth across the Panthers; “The female game is growing there is no denying that. For many of us at Morningside it was about creating a culture and environment where our female players knew they were going to be welcomed, supported, and understood no matter at what stage of the footy journey they were at or how they identified within the landscape of their team or playing group. The Women and Girls space here is such a great community to be a part of and I am so very proud to have been able to help that happen and to have been surrounded by amazing women like Tam and the senior players, along with so many other great allies who have gotten around the program and pushed it to where it is today.”
The women’s program implemented at the club has been commended by the local community for its inclusiveness and development of the girls and women at the Club. The programs’ focus aims for the female players to be “Fierce competitors but always kind and fair.” Bec continued. “For me I love that every time I get a smile or a hug from a player or parent of a player, I know we are doing something that is changing the future for our girls!”
Whilst acknowledging the great success the job is never done for these determined women. The Club will look to keep growing its Female Football Program with a focus on soon having representation in the QAFLW as well as continuing to grow a culture of “Respect, Empowerment and Inclusion”. But as it stands, with ALL female teams making the Finals Series it’s just a testament of the hard work from all those involved at the Club. Good luck in the finals Girls, we will all be cheering you on.