AFL North West: Youth girls competition launches this year

A number of clubs have held come and try days and the response has been very positive. Gunnedah Bulldogs, Inverell Saints, Glen Innes Celts, and Tamworth Roosters have all run sessions with a great blend of experienced players and girls who are new to the sport.

Matt Crawley, Northern NSW game development lead for the AFL, is as excited as the girls themselves.

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"All of the girls who have been to a come and try session are loving footy, you can tell by the huge smiles on their faces," Crawley said.

"The new girls are finding that the skills they already have from other sports are making the transition to footy easy.

"Whether those skills are catching, kicking, running, jumping, tackling, or agility, these are all attributes that are valued highly in AFL.

"It's definitely helping to have the AFLW competition on TV at the present time. There's no doubt that girls are loving watching the matches on TV, but then they want to be able to try the skills themselves."

The Youth Girls competition is for players aged 15-17.

Older girls can join the North West Women's competition, whilst younger girls can play in the mixed under-14 competition.

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