By Eleanor Wilson
When Officer City Soccer Club’s Under 14 Girls team huddled around the pitch at Cardinia Recreation Reserve on Sunday 15 August, their intention for the match ahead was simple.
Play like the Matildas.
The night before, the Tillies had successfully made it through to the semi-finals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup after a gripping penalty victory over France, sending Australians’ national pride into overdrive.
It also sparked a new era of hope for young female sports fans around the country, whose opportunities in male-dominated sports like soccer and AFL have historically been obstructed by a lack of accessibility.
Officer City Soccer Club president Cheree Appledore said the Matildas’ performance at the World Cup has been a major source of inspiration for the club’s three girls teams.
“They were all super pumped…it’s just a buzz of energy at the moment, you can’t really describe it any other way, it is just a massive buzz of energy,” she said.
Last year Officer City established its first girls’ team. Before that, a lack of numbers meant girls eager to play with the club were allocated to a mixed team, which made several girls consider discontinuing the sport all together.
Now managing three girls’ teams and several development groups including GO Girls and MiniRoos, Cheree believes the cohort of girls will continue to grow at Officer City, which was named 2022 Sporting Club of the Year at the Victorian Sport Awards earlier this year.
“I’d imagine next year we’ll definitely have more girls teams.
“We’re very excited to have an increase in girls this year because they just do bring something different to the game.
“You can’t be what you can’t see, you hear that thrown around a lot, but the World Cup is showing all the girls and the women around our country that they can do this and they can go out and be a Matilda or be a Lioness.“
Gipp Sport senior consultant and gender equity advocate Michelle Harris said part of Officer City’s growing network of girls is owed to the club’s ability to engage with programs and grants catered toward achieving gender equity in sport.
“One thing Officer City do really well is they tap into council development workshops, they get informed, they network really well, they participate in Football Victoria’s Change Makers project, “ Michelle said.
“Other clubs can do this they just need to put up their hand and we can show them the way.“
The club is also a participant in Cardinia Shire’s Women and Girls Sport and Participation Network, which looks toward improving participation and leadership skills locally.
Michelle believes most clubs have grown to develop an understanding of the disparity in opportunities for women and girls in sport.
“There’s more barriers for girls, the perception, fear of judgement, not having places to play, they need extra help to get the equity.“
Now, it’s a matter of translating that understanding into tangible change.
“Ultimately we want to create more opportunities for women and girls to play sport and not only play but stay in it and thrive so they have pathways, opportunities that they deserve.
“Now it’s about how we can translate all of this interest and love and support for the Matildas into real action, whether that’s local businesses putting money into girl’s teams, or volunteers helping out.
“It’s about making it a reality that girls can play soccer more easily.“
Cheree agrees the landscape of girls in sport is inherently different to that of boys and men.
“The girls are a little bit different to the boys, the boys just want to get out there and play, girls need a little bit more encouragement, they also need that bond.
“They need some friendships, they need to know the space is safe and its okay to make mistakes.
“We want to continue developing that and continue offering them a safe place to play, where they can learn and develop, have a bit of fun and meet some friends.
“We don’t just want the World Cup to end and everything just stop, we’re doing lot of work to continue the momentum.“
The 2023 intake of the Cardinia Women and Girls Sport and Participation Network closes Friday 25 August.
To apply, head to bit.ly/457iZhF
