One of the unsung heroes of the CDSFA will be leaving the association this Friday after three seasons of tireless work to grow the game.
Trudy Burke, the outgoing Female Football Development Coordinator, joined Football Canterbury ahead of the 2020 season and will be departing to join Football NSW as their Legacy Development Officer.
Joining ahead of the 2020 season meant that not only did Burke have to attempt to remove the usual barriers to entry for women and girls, but also needed to deal with the rise of Covid and all the related disruptions.
That did not stop her working hard and progressing though, with the number of womens and girls teams growing 17% under her watch in just three years.
With this growth, female participants now represent 26% of the entire CDSFA playing group.
Some of Burke’s big achievements at Football Canterbury include:
- Expanding the women’s O35 competition (initially O30s competition). Following the success of the Kick-On for Women Program which saw over 200 women participate, the program was expanded into the overage women’s program which saw an increased level of players from that demographic leading to a creation of a third division
- The Female Football Week events growing bigger and better every year. It’s not just the events themselves that are growing, but also the hype and expectation for the events
- The inaugural Youth Female Coach Development Program that saw 22 young girls come through the pilot program. The candidates are now in positions such as coaching for Sydney FC and leading teams and programs at their clubs
While moving to a role where she can have state-wide impact on female football, it is with a tinge of sadness that she leaves Football Canterbury.
“I have really loved my three seasons with the association: the area has been very receptive in wanting to grow the female space. There are some incredible volunteers within the clubs that have so much passion and energy and really want to drive it,” said Burke.
Growth and opportunity are often buzzwords when it comes to women in girls in sport, and despite celebrating the development of females in football, Burke was quick to add that there is still much work to be done.
“One challenge that still needs to be overcome is making people aware that the female space is still so far behind the male counterparts. Despite the growth of the past decade, women and girls still just make up only 26% of the entire CDSFA playing group.
“Although we are growing and have so much potential, In terms of history and the time where they’ve been playing, female have had barriers and have been restricted to be able to play and still have a long way to go.”
For equity and equality to be reached, it will take more people like Burke as well as passionate and motivated people at club level.
“I want to give a big thank you to all the clubs and players in this space that have made my job easy and have helped to develop the growth that we have: so much is due to them and their hard work.”
Ian, Homes, CEO at CDSFA, says that Burke will be a big loss to the Association but that their loss is the wider football community’s gain.
“Trudy has been a fantastic asset to the Association and has implemented many outstanding initiatives. As an association, we have been fortunate to have her as part of the team,” said Holmes.
“While we do not want to lose her services, sometimes organisations must make sacrifices for the greater good. Trudy is moving into a critical role at Football NSW where she can have a more significant impact on the game, with a specific focus on the legacy of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“Trudy will make a difference driving future investment in female football as part of the Legacy Team with Helen Armson at Football NSW and leaves with our best wishes.”
