Start a Competition
State football bodies are available to assist with the establishment of junior and youth girls competitions.
A good starting point is to contact your state or regional Game Development office so they can outline the support available and facilitate a meeting of key interest and stakeholder groups including:
- Junior Leagues
- Women’s League
- Schools – AFL School Ambassadors
Funding must be available through your Game Development office to a pay small honorarium to a person to drive the competition's establishment. An interested person could be identified from the following stakeholders:
- Women’s League
- AFL School Ambassador
- Tertiary Student on Practicum
- Female Physical Education Teacher (eg on maternity leave)
Responsibility for Conducting Competition
To ensure the long-term sustainability of the competition it is recommend that existing community football leagues and/or clubs take on the responsibility of administering the competition.
For example:
- Junior Football Leagues – integrate female competition/s into season fixture
- Junior Clubs – may wish to conduct a localised female competition (teams play at a central venue)
- Where numbers in a region are small consider cross-district fixtures until numbers grow
- In county towns/regions with small populations/numbers of both boys and girls, consider a female-only zone in your mixed-gender groups
- Women’s League - Women’s league and clubs offer youth girl’s age groups
This also eliminates the need to duplicate the resources and infrastructure required as female football is integrated with the existing football network.
Competition Format
To eliminate as many barriers and impediments in the establishment of a girls competition flexibility is highly recommended.
Study, social and part-time work pressures and other sporting commitments are all factors that should be considered when determining an appropriate competition format
Competitions need to meet the needs of participating players so flexibility in the timing and days games are played, reducing team numbers and innovative competition formats together with the following should be considered:
- Reduced playing numbers - AFL 9s or 12, 15 or 18 a side
- Central venue – all games played
- Club based grounds – home and away season
- School teams align with clubs but play after school at school ground
- Skills clinic then evenly matched teams play
- Games only with regular training at clubs
- Spring/Summer Twilight games
- Ask prospective players when they would most like to play
Rules and Resources
There is no difference in rules for junior boys or girls under 12.
Refer to AFL Youth Girls Rules in Appendix 2 modified formats to meet the development needs of youth girl participants eg, 9 a side = 4 x 12 minute quarters with no kicking off the ground allowed.
Ball size = size 4 (15 years and over), size 3 (if under 15)