Currently, only one in five football players in New Zealand are female.
Whanganui Fantails co-ordinator Cathy Norris said at the beginner level in mixed team environments girls often did not get enough time on the ball.
“It’s not fun for them being up against the boys, they don’t get to touch the ball and the boys if you watch them at training have got this big, full-on energy and they’re very fast and slide-tackling all over the place.
“It can be intimidating for girls so they just disappear.”
Whanganui Athletic president Peter Czerwonka said he expected there to be a surge of interest from female players following the publicity of the Women’s World Cup.
“It’s only natural that when girls see women playing on TV and competing on the higher stage in New Zealand that will make them keen to start playing.
“We’re hoping to build a really good platform at the junior base, and then move it forward into the women’s space.”
Whanganui Athletic’s senior women’s teams had increased from two to three this year, and recently the club held its first girls-only tournament at Wembley Park for 12th-grade teams.
But the struggle for Whanganui Athletic is how to retain female players as they move through the age levels.
“In the boys’ game there are more teams and it’s more competitive and we have that population.
“I think Athletic are in a position now where the numbers are growing and we’re looking to capitalise on creating those clear pathways for girls.”
Czerwonka said the global growth of women’s football was attracting players.
“The exposure through things like women’s teams being on Fifa now, it allows girls to see the career they can have in football.”
Norris said it was about encouraging girls-only football from the bottom up.
“We should still provide mixed options for the girls that want it, but I think it’s important for there to be female coaches and role models surrounding them.
“It’s also important to move away from Saturday-only games, and that’s why we’ve chosen to do this on a weekday so it’s not having to compete with other sports.”
Czerwonka said netball’s stronghold on female athletes at a school level was an obstacle for football clubs.
The Whanganui Fantails are being led by a team of five female coaches, who are all current Athletic players themselves.
Twenty players were currently signed up to the Whanganui Fantails, but Norris said it was never too late to join throughout the season.
“We want to attract new players but it’s open to existing footballers, and girls can return every term if they want to.”
The Fantails programme will run from July 24 to September 11 and will take place at 3.30pm at Carlton School.
Parents of players interested in signing up for the Fantails programme can email whanganuiathleticfc@gmail.com or phone 027 676 6011 for more information, or register using this link: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/236402.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
