Auckland FC have launched an initiative to support 50 young girls and their journey through football, with one women’s football expert calling it important for the game’s future.
“The Next 50″ programme, supported jointly by the club and New Balance, refers to the 50 years women were bannedfrom playing football in New Zealand
It will support 50 girls aged between 10 and 14.
The aim is to keep young girls in the sport longer and strengthen the women’s game from the grassroots level.
Players selected will receive season-long support, including football gear, alongside access to football camps and development support through Auckland FC.
Registrations are already open via the Auckland FC website.
Dr Alida Shanks, a board member of Women in Sport Aotearoa and general manager operations for Waikato Bay of Plenty football, said she supported the initiative.
Auckland FC have launched a new programme to support 50 young girls and their journey through football. Photo / Phibbs Visuals
“With that youth age, that’s when we do see a drop-off and a lot of it is around girls’ bodies changing,” Shanks said.
“So access to gear, especially sports bras, that’s really hugely helpful because that’s sometimes out of reach for some girls and especially comfortable, so just being able to get gear is really helpful.”
Shanks also appreciated the project’s link to an “uncomfortable” part of sporting history in New Zealand.
“Back in 1920, there were literally thousands of people coming to watch women’s football and thousands of women playing football.
“So when that ban came in, it just stopped because most of the ban wasn’t on women playing, it was on being able to book public grounds or council grounds, which is how they got around an outright ban.”
Since the limitations were lifted in the 1970s, Shanks said there had been a steady growth in the number of female players.
“It helps the girls if they can see themselves, so even if a girl doesn’t make the 50 that are selected, they can see 50 other girls who have been picked and are making it.
“Being able to see other girls on the stage or even if it’s community football, that’s just super important.”
Shanks said the next step was to tackle systemic barriers in the sport, with an aim to put more women in decision-making roles and have even more clubs set up women’s teams.
“We need to work on those bigger challenges as well, so that when the girls are coming in, they’re having awesome experiences that they can then go back to their clubs and also have a really cool experience.”
Auckland FC still plan to launch a women’s team in the A-League for the 2027/28 season, while a spokesperson for the club said their women’s development centre team had begun training again.
