Women and girls make an incredible contribution to our game, both on and off the pitch. Throughout Female Football Week (1-10 May), we will be sharing YOUR stories to celebrate this contribution with the wider Victorian football community.
Today, Debbie Yu speaks about her drive to inspire the next generation of women in football.
My name is Debbie and I have a passion for this great game of football.
I have been playing football all my life. From primary school up until today. I love both Futsal and outdoor, it’s a sport I am just so passionate about. My love for the game led me to Ringwood City and to take part in a referee course and coaching course when I was younger.
I have played for a couple of clubs and played for Ringwood City in 2015 when the women’s team was still in State League 3 and 4. A good friend of mine, who had been at the club for years, asked me to come back to coach. In addition to coaching a team, she was interested in asking the company I worked for become a major sponsor for the State League 1 women’s team. We all agreed it was an amazing idea as female football is growing day by day in Australia, especially with the upcoming Women’s World Cup coming in 2023.
Personally, it’s so good to be back at the club and see the Senior Women’s team reach State League 1 after joining when they were in State 3 and 4.
It is with my pleasure that as well as being a coach of the newly formed Under-9 girls and assistant coach of the Under-15 girls, I have been promoted to take up the role in the general committee for socials and event. It is my privilege to be a young face in the committee and show the young girls and ladies that we can do anything.
It is time for female football to be big in the community so that we can build an army that is passionate about the game. It is up to people like me to drive the change in female football.