Girls Pathway to State Footy starts here!

Taylah Anderson left, with sister Maddy second from right

Hey girls – if you want to play state footy, here’s the first step!

AFL NSW/ACT has recently redesigned the female talent pathway that leads to selection in both the Under 16 and Under 18 NSW/ACT teams to compete at National Championships. The first step in this pathway is to gain selection in the North Coast Academy of Sport AFLW Program which is currently calling for nominations from girls born between 2002 and 2004 (inclusive).

The program will run from March to June 2018 with training centres in both the north and south of the region. One of the highlights of the program will be the regional Academy games when the 11 Academies from across the state come together to compete against one another, with places in the NSW/ACT Under 16 team up for grabs.

Matt Crawley, AFL Development Manager, said that the Academy program provides girls with a rare opportunity to be talent identified. “This program will put players in the eye of the state selectors and give them a chance to stake a claim on a place in the NSW/ACT team.

“AFLW has been an unprecedented success and is set to expand with six more teams entering the competition in the next two years which means AFL teams will be looking for players to be drafted.

“Our region has already had Nikki Wallace play with the Brisbane Lions, we’re now looking for the next AFLW player to come from the North Coast.”

As well as intensive training days, squad members also receive an athlete education program which includes sports nutrition, sports physiology, sports psychology and drugs awareness.

The program isn’t limited to current AFL players. It offers the opportunity to athletes from other sports to train in a high performance environment and explore that talent pathway within AFL.

Interested players need to complete the application form and return to the North Coast Academy of Sport by Monday 19 February. Applicants will be advised of their selection status by Friday 23 February, with the first squad activity scheduled for Saturday 3 March.

For further information on the program please contact the North Coast Academy of Sport on 6620 3073.

North Coast Academy of Sport 2018 AFLW Program flyer

North Coast Academy of Sport 2018 AFLW Program information pack