Women are football.
Women are coaches, Presidents, committee members, administrators, volunteers, match officials and players. Women are instrumental in keeping football running across our state - every Club, Association and organisation is shaped by the support of the women within.
International Women's Day (IWD) is a great opportunity for everyone to reflect on the women in our communities. There are unsung heroes across Victoria and IWD is an opportunity to shine the spotlight on some of those stories.
Football Victoria hit the road to catch up with three women from our community, each with a very different football story:
- Lyn Toll, a finalist in FV's Volunteer of the Year awards 2020, has been a loyal servant to her beloved Geelong Rangers for over 30 years, spending most of that time running the canteen - which is now named after her;
- Claudia Mihocic, a current Football Victoria Emerging Matildas player and Young Matilda, is potentially on a pathway to wearing the green and gold at the highest level for our nation at the 2023 Women's World Cup;
- Lucy Brennan, an accomplished Club administrator at Ballarat Soccer Club, having held the position of President, Coach, and player; and Chair of Female Football at BDSA.
The 2021 theme for IWD is "Choose To Challenge" - a reminder for us all to help forge a gender equal world. Karen Pearce, Executive Manager Growth and Inclusion, believes this is a historic time for women and girls in football.
“Football Victoria is dedicated to supporting the growth of women and girls in football. Our Women & Girls Strategy (2019-2022) outlines our vision towards reaching 50:50 gender equity by 2027, and how we will strive together towards creating this historical transformation in football. The Strategy will be officially released to the community during FV’s Female Football Week in May."
We'd like to wish all our football community a very happy International Women's Day and send our gratitude for your valuable contributions to our beautiful game.