A special presentation and gala night on Wednesday saw hundreds of girls in attendance as they were given their newly designed Earlwood Wanderers kits ahead of the 2021 season.
To say that there was excitement in the air at Earlwood Oval on Wednesday night was an understatement as 120 girls eagerly awaited receiving their jerseys on a landmark evening for the Wanderers.
One of the driving forces behind the new initiative was club secretary, Tamara Mulroney, who helped organise an unforgettable night for all the young girls.
Th inclement weather failed to dampen the spirits with the night going ahead without a hitch.
“In terms of enthusiasm, it didn’t make any difference for these girls that it was raining, they loved it rain, hail or shine,” Mulroney said.
Leah Blaney addressing the young audience. Photo Credit: MMS (Multimedia Solutions) Sports Photography
“A lot of these girls are between the ages of 8-11 and even the small thing of adding a pink stripe to the strip which many may not think is a big deal, but the girls loved it.”
“They own it, they feel like football is for them.”
That sense of belonging to the football community may have been helped slightly by the presence of Young Matildas coach Leah Blaney and CDSFA’s Female Development Officer Trudy Burke with the pair’s every word absorbed by their highly attentive young audience.
“The girls want to see women wearing the kit, kicking the ball and being passionate. They think Trudy is the bees knees, she’s been to Earlwood a couple of times, to them they see her and her infectious love of the sport and that’s what gets them,” Mulroney said.
“I told them Trudy’s coming again and it is like telling them Santa’s coming. They absolutely loved it.
“Even with Leah, the questions that they ask the professional players are different to what boys might ask.”
There has been a noticeable increase in female participation across the Wanderers with some staggering hikes in certain age groups.
Earlwood girls in their brand new kit. Photo Credit: MMS (Multimedia Solutions) Sports Photography
“Last year we didn’t have any under nine teams and this year we will have three and we will also have an all-girl under seven’s team.”
“Normally in the mixed comps, you might get like a couple of girls, but they tend to start playing at an older age at around eight.
So, this under seven team that will be all girls will be called the Lionesses – they’re all very cute and very excited.”
Mulroney believes that the sudden increase in participation may be down to two factors: “There has been a huge uptake in our under 12’s, some of these girls in the younger age groups may be their siblings plus we’ve also we’ve been big on social media pushing women’s football.”
“Coaches and managers have taken the girls out to Sydney FC games to be the ball girls, to do the half time entertainment so we’ve really promoted that football is fun.”
Trudy Burke out on the pitch with the girls. Photo Credit: MMS (Multimedia Solutions) Sports Photography
The hard evidence to prove that the evening was a success was there for all to see at the local primary school the following morning with last night’s event, the talk of the playground.
“They were all buzzing, that’s what I love about it. It’s a relatively small thing, get the girls together, pink stripe, have some skills for them – they’re happy.”
“Now they’re all bursting for the season to start. There was even one seven-year-old girl who thought the season began on Thursday, she said: ‘I’m going to play tomorrow!’
*Earlwood Wanderers would like to thank their principal partner, All Trades Group, who proudly sponsored their new kit.
By CDSFA Communications Officer – Samuel Greco Schwartz
