Girls invited to join Nyora’s junior all girl football teams

By Courtney O’Brien

NYORA Football and Netball Club are working on putting together two all-girls under 12s and 14s football teams for the coming footy season.

The idea to form the girl’s sides was generated by Nyora born and bred Adam Tagliaferro’s eleven-year-old daughter, after she played a few games of footy.

“It wasn’t until my daughter went and played school footy. She’d played mixed footy at Nyora four or five seasons ago and she didn’t really like it. I guess the boys were always bigger and stronger and faster and, I guess more developed. And then when she went and played girls’ footy at the school, she and her friends really loved it, and really excelled at it,” explained Adam. 

“She mentioned how much she enjoyed it and said Dad, can we start a side?”

Having a long association and love of football himself, wracking up over 200 games during his football career, Adam thought it was a great idea and is prepared to call on his experience to coach the girl’s sides. 

“I pretty much played my whole life in Nyora, since I was nine years old. I went over to the Thorpdale Footy Club and spent two years as the senior playing/assistant coach over there. Then I came back to Nyora and spent two further seasons as the senior playing assistant coach, and one of them was our Seniors 2018 Premiership,” said Adam. 

“I grew up playing sport my whole life, and it’s the best memories I have in my childhood, running out on the field with my mates and making lifelong friends and all that sort of stuff. So, I think it’s just more about getting numbers involved in sport and giving our girls their own platform to do that.”

Eight or nine girls have already reached out and shown interest in joining the teams. Within the West Gippsland Junior Football League, there are five-six all-girls teams that the Nyora girls will be competing against. 

“I guess it’s probably putting some seeds in the ground for them to go and play against girls to start with; and hopefully it drags a few more girls that are interested in football, that are maybe a little bit underdeveloped or unskilled or a little bit anxious playing with boys and it gives them more of a chance to showcase their talent,” said Adam. 

The Nyora Football and Netball Club have been successful in building up their junior teams in recent years with their two junior boys sides making it to the finals this year. 

“I think adding girls is just another element of that; trying to get girls involved in sport and out running around.”  

While Adam admits that coaching girls footy is a bit scary, he believes he has something valuable to offer them, alongside the sport itself. 

“I’d like to think I’ve got a lot of football knowledge I can share with girls, and I’ve got four kids as well; I know you probably need a lot more patience with children. 

“I’m aiming to have a lot of fun next year with the girls, and I’m aiming to make it a good space for them, to build on that and hopefully teach them a thing or two about football.”

For more information call Adam Tagliaferro on 0433 612 814 or Shannon on 044 676 164, or register using the QR code.