Among the 100s of footballers at Greenvale Football Club, is a group of young girls trying the sport for the first time.
With more than 50 girls across the under-12 and under-15 teams, the club has been surprised by the response of girls wanting to play.
Under-12 coach Matt O’Connor, who has coached at the Calder Cannons, said he hadn’t seen anything like the excitement from this group of girls who just want to play football.
“I knew my daughter was old enough to play and we thought it was a father and daughter thing we could do.
“I said to her that you understand if you play they will ask me to coach, as I have coached.
“The girls are so raw, but so keen to come to training and play.
“I’d go to explain something at training and they would say they already know it as they’ve googled everything beforehand.
“They have no fear when it comes to football.”
O’Connor said some of the senior men’s players who trained after the girls had got involved and had been helping to teach them to kick.
Last Thursday, AFLW star Rebecca Privitelli joined the girls at training, before talking all things football with the girls.
Privitelli, who coached the inaugural Northern Knights girl’s TAC Cup side, played five games with Carlton this season.
On Tuesday it was announced that she had joined Greater Western Sydney for next season.
O’Connor said the Jets players had been thrilled to listen to someone who had grown up playing football and was now part of the AFLW competition.
The Jets under-12s sit second on the ladder in the division 1 competition with four wins and a draw, while the under-15s have one win for the season.
