GIRLS' football in the region continues to prosper with several members of the Ararat Storm Football Club selected in the North Ballarat Rebels' Youth Girls' State Academy.
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Football development manager for Goldfields region, Tim Shearer said the Youth Girls' State Academy (YGSA) program works to 'develop great footballers and outstanding people' with the aim being to prepare Victoria's most promising youth girls' footballers, aged between 13 and 18, for representative and senior football.
Sarah Anderson, Alysha Bettels and Genevieve Blake from Ararat Storm have been chosen in the Rebels YGSA, while their Storm team mates Georgia Anderson, Lilly Dowling, Ayesha Nicholson and Carrie Slorach were selected in the futures' squad.
Ararat's Ella Wood has also made it into the futures' squad. Wood is yet to play youth girls' football, but has showed her talent having played for Mounties in the Ararat and District Junior Football Association this year.
The under-13 player also captained the ADJFA team in the annual Pickering-Turner Challenge match.
Ararat Storm’s Lilly Dowling and Ayesha Nicholson have played two seasons with the club in the Ballarat FL Youth Girls’ competition, while Carrie Slorach has also played both seasons and showed her dedication by travelling from Navarre weekly to compete.
Sarah and Georgie Anderson are sisters from Moyston who got their first taste of girls’ football in 2014 with the Storm, along with Alysha Bettels who transferred to the team after playing for Kyneton last year.
Bettels, who now lives in Portland, has a great passion for the game travelling two hours most weeks to play with Ararat.
Rounding out the local players selected is Genevieve Blake who was another to make her debut for Ararat Storm this year.
As a Stawell resident young enough to still play with the boys, Blake also pulled on the boots for Stawell Swifts under-14s which claimed the Horsham and District Football League premiership this season.
Blake played a starring role in the grand final with two goals.
To round out the Wimmera connection to the Rebels YGSA program, two members of the coaching team at Ararat Storm have been added to the Academy staff.
Olivia Miocic will work as an assistant coach for the Rebels YGSA and look to further develop her coaching knowledge while helping the players to improve their game.
Will Bell, who has coached the Storm in their first two seasons as well as previously coaching Ararat’s under-14 Wimmera Football League team, will take on the role as head coach for the Futures’ Squad.
“Will has also coached the BFL interleague youth girls’ team while currently playing for Ararat in the WFL, so his passion for the game is enormous,” Mr Shearer said.
“A former Western AFCA Coach of the Year for his work with Moyston Auskick, his developmental style of coaching is well suited to working with the girls.”
Entering its fourth season of operation, the Academy this year had more than 50 girls from throughout Western Victoria apply for one of the 30 places available within the final squad.
The girls were trialed over four sessions throughout September and October.
The YGSA training will kick off again on October 22 with a combined session in Ballarat. Sessions will then be held on November 5 and 19 and December 3 and 17. The Rebels also plan to have a fitness testing session on November 19 and conduct the December 3 training session in Ararat.
All girls chosen in any of the YGSAs will also be invited to trial for the Victoria Country and Victoria Metro teams that will participate at the National Championships in WA during May next year. The Rebels YGSA has produced 20 state level players across the past two seasons.
Youth girls’ football is the fastest growing sector of Australian Rules Football. The AFL is aiming to introduce a Women’s AFL within a decade.