The largest football club in Victoria also happens to have the highest number of female participants among their ranks.
They have been around for over 90 years and have long been setting an example to other clubs as to how to get girls and women playing football.
They are Brighton Soccer Club.
This season Dendy Park will be home to over 1200 members and will have numerous programs designed to get females playing football.
At the forefront of the club’s strategy is Club President Ruth Kyte, who has given some insight into how clubs can overcome perceived obstacles faced by the women’s game.
“We recognised that girls often lack awareness of the game and even if they are interested in playing can lack confidence,” said Kyte.
“Firstly we aim to create an awareness of girls and women’s soccer and give girls a low or no cost introduction to the sport where they can see if they like it.
“Secondly we have a strategy of offering a mixture of programs to suit the girls and women’s audience.”
These programs include a variety of free ‘Come and Try’ clinics, where players can get a feel for the game before progressing to mixed or girls only teams from the Under 8’s age group and up.
The club has also embraced the national AIA MiniRoos program and last year organised an inaugural tournament just for girls.
Brighton have also been proactive on the recruitment front, doing more than relying on traditional advertising methods to entice new life-long players to their club.
“We started advertising among our local schools but have also started to run training sessions in schools to increase awareness,” said Kyte.
“We have also focused on getting stories about girls teams in our club in the local newspaper before particular programs start.
“Our conversion rate from our junior programs to traditional football has been very good and has powered the growth in girls throughout the club.”
While the work Ruth does behind the scenes is helping to drive girls and women’s participation in football she also acknowledges the importance of having role-models – and is proud to be held up in this regard.
“Having a female President and Secretary has been good to present to the girls and women in the club as it gives a more welcoming feel to them, as opposed to feeling like a ‘boys club’.
“This has been an organic process rather than a deliberate one.
“We pride ourselves on being a family orientated club with strong values and this has had an impact on the high level of involvement of women in our club.”