By JARROD POTTER
THE Scorpions have opened the doors to female footballers with the announcement of an Elite Development Program set to begin this month.
Providing for elite sportswomen in the south east, the Scorpions’ six-week program is open to all present and past female footballers and those who currently participate in other sports but are thinking about a potential switch.
The program will cover all the aspects involved in playing the great Victorian pastime – skill development, game day education, nutrition, high performance testing and leadership.
Casey Scorpions general manager Matthew Young said the program is designed to boost the region’s female football ranks and give an insight into what it takes to go from local footy, to the VFL and hopefully for some, onwards to the National Women’s League (NWL).
“With the way women’s footy is headed – not only the AFL, but also locally and with the VFL coming on board this year – we see it as an opportunity to provide some of our resources to sportswomen,” Young said. “Both those who play the game and those who are interested in it and giving them an opportunity to see what the next level is about.
“We can offer them a great deal of development and give them some ideas about what the VFL slash AFL is about and provide a few different avenues and some of the stuff the women haven’t experienced before.”
With the reigning Youth Girls Academy champions – Dandenong – on their doorstep as well as an array of successful South East Juniors and VWFL clubs scattered throughout the region, Young believed the area’s sportswomen are incredibly well placed and need further opportunities to take the step to the next level.
“The south east is probably one of the most competitive areas from around Victoria – the South East Juniors Youth Girls, Stingrays Youth Girls are really strong competitions and sides and we want to build on that with girls and women who want to keep playing,” Young said. “We want to entice them to keep playing, plus we also want to target some women who are playing soccer, netball, tennis and get them to try it out.”
An information night will be held at 7pm on Wednesday 22 June at Casey Fields function room and will cover the program’s goals and give all participants an insight into the facilities and programs on offer.
More information on the Casey Scorpions Elite Development Program is available via the Casey Scorpions website www.scorpions.com.au or phone 5996 1111.
