Inaugural Riverland U15 Girls competition takes flight

By ZAC MILBANK

The development of female football continues to blossom in regional South Australia, with the Riverland Football League the latest to launch an all-girls competition.

Following on from the successful introduction of the Limestone Coast Football League’s U16 Girls League starting in February, the RFL kicked its inaugural U15 Girls competition off on Monday night in front of a large crowd at the Berri Oval.

Consisting of four teams – Berri, Bamera-Monash, Waikerie and Renmark – the U15 Girls competition will be held on Monday nights this year in a nine-a-side format.

As many as 50 girls aged between 12 and 15 donned the boots for the opening round, with the aim of continuing to build numbers throughout the season as games are rotated across venues within the Riverland FL.

”The positive attitude of these four RFL clubs has certainly allowed this competition to come to fruition,” SANFL Riverland Game Development Coordinator, Nick Dillon, said.

”Two first-time coaches – Bec Keynes (Berri) and Sarah Schiller (Waikerie) – have come from a hockey background but they are already doing a marvelous job with the encouragement and support of their girls.”

An All-Girls Auskick Centre – under the guidance of senior Berri player Missy Blanck – is being conducted before each round of U15 RFL Girls matches, creating an exciting atmosphere for aspiring female footballers in the region.

”It’s fantastic that girls in the Riverland now have a complete pathway from Auskick through to the senior women’s competition in the RFL,” Dillon said.

”A tremendous amount of hard work and positive support from the RFL and its clubs has enabled this to become a reality in the past four years.”