FOR many years a revolution has been growing in the North West, resulting in an exciting change to the traditional landscape of country sports.
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Billy Jupp explores the rise to prominence of women's sport.
EVERY little kid who has ever picked up a ball in their back yard has dreamed of playing on the "biggest stage" - whether that's in front of the world at a soccer World Cup, in front of thousands of people at an Aussie Rules grand final or taking centre stage for their hometown on the weekend.
In 2019, those dreams are more realistic than ever before for young girls from rural areas.
A recent explosion in women's sports - including the introduction of a first-ever women's rugby team at the Quirindi Lions, a club that has existed since 1956, and the creation of a second women's AFL team in Tamworth - has prompted the Leader to have a closer look at the growth of women's sports and the people behind the games.
The leg work
The creation of sporting teams doesn't just happen: it takes years of cultivating a variety of aspects to create a club and to retain players.
Northern Inland Football general manager Julia Farina believes instilling a "positive culture" is key to building player numbers.
"At the moment our zone has more than 4300 people registered to play," Farina said.
"Females make up 24 per cent of those players, which is level with the state's goal of participation of women per zone.
"Traditionally, soccer has been a good introductory sport and we are still seeing that at the moment."
Helping drive girls into sports from a young age is Soccer Australia's youth development program, the Mini Roos.
"When you look at the age group with the highest participation level in our zone, it is the under-8 age group, and I think that is a direct result of the Mini Roos program," Farina said.
"Not only that, 27 per cent of those numbers are girls, which shows the effort our governing bodies are going to in regards to including females at an early age."
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Cultivating a positive culture for women has become so paramount in Northern Inland Football, the organisation has introduced a new award that recognises contributions to the women's soccer.
"The award was introduced to recognise just some of the clubs who are putting in the effort to help build women's football," Farina said.
"Last year it was won by Kootingal and Quirindi, who both have excelled at including women at their clubs.
"In fact, out of the 260 players registered with Quirindi, 44 per cent of them are women, while Kootingal ranks in with 33 per cent.
"Honestly, all of the clubs in the competition are doing what they can to promote women's football and it is great to see."
Getting an opportunity
The cultivating of a positive culture has begun to open up opportunities for women to walk into ready-made clubs and avoid the tribulations that accompany starting one from scratch.
One such example is the Tamworth Swans, who will take to the field in AFL North West for the first time in 2019.
Leading the Swans onto the field in 2019 will be their captain, Victorian native Jessica Kirkpatrick.
"I think people want to be a part of a club that has a pre-existing positive culture," Kirkpatrick said.
"As a kid back home in country Victoria, you grew up with the notion that boys played footy and girls played netball.
"Now though, there is such a diversity of sports women can play and I think now more than ever, we are seeing women crossing from different sports to give other sports a go.
"That opportunity has only really become available to women today, thanks to the work of people who have come before to set up a club and break down the walls of what sports girls can play."
The growth of women's AFL in the region will be on display at the annual Crossroads Cup pre-season tournament on Saturday.
The event will see all the teams come together in a round-robin tournament.
"I think that it is very interesting that Tamworth has two Aussie Rules teams," Kirkpatrick said.
"There is plenty of factors that make women's Aussie Rules attractive to women in Tamworth.
"Things like the AFLW, the strong culture of both the Tamworth Swans and Tamworth Roos and the comfortability of playing with like-minded people all attribute to it, in my opinion.
"People want to be part of a club and there is a lot of competition between all of the sports in the region to bring women into the fold.
"To me, that is a really great thing that is only going to get better as the years roll on."
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The growth of women's participation in sports, such as rugby union, Aussie Rules and soccer, has had little impact on steadfast women's sports such as netball, according to Penny Clarke, Tamworth Netball Association representative co-ordinator.
Clarke said netball has seen its share of the women's sporting boom.
"You'd think that some of the girls who are playing other sports would have gone across from netball but that hasn't really been the case," she said.
"This year we actually have 28 under-11 development players, up from 10 last year.
"We have had a huge influx at that age level and it is a great opportunity for them to gather some great experiences at the younger ages, to carry into the older years and senior competitions."
The call for more support of women's sport has been heard loud and clear by the federal government, which in the latest budget allocated $200 million over four years to aid in the growth of women's sports.
"Having fantastic facilities helps draw in new players for sure," Clarke said.
"We are very lucky in Tamworth to have the facilities we have, with more on the way.
"There is the new indoor court set to be opened in the near future and I'm sure it will help draw more players into the sport in the future."
The sky's the limit
With new sports and traditional women's sports growing every day, the question remains: Where do they go from here?
Farina believes "anything is possible" for female athletes in the future.
"I don't see any reason why women's sports will slow down in terms of participation," she said.
"With the number of registrations we are seeing at the younger levels, such as the under-8 competition, there is going to be a strong core of players going forward.
"I think it is going to be about retention of those players into the future.
"That's where I think the governing bodies of sports will need to act and keep that connection strong, particularly in rural areas."
For Kirkpatrick, the future involves leaving a legacy for future players to enjoy.
"I think it's important for the players of today to foster those good cultures that have made it easy for us to get involved," she said.
"If it can be done at grassroots level and at the elite level, alike, then I think there is no telling how far women's sports can go."