How south-west players, clubs, communities are benefiting from female footy

No other sports hit the spot for the pair like Australia's indigenous game does and in a not-so-distant past when there was no where for them to play, they felt lost.

Auslebrook's career started as an eight-year-old in a Warrnambool under 12s side coached by her dad Al with her older brothers Ned and Jack.

Until she turned 14 she enjoyed playing the sport she loved but soon opportunities were few and far between which left her "shattered".

"Dad and I looked for other avenues and there was a state development team I was fortunate to make at 14," the now 22-year-old said.

"Which was weird being so small and being up against 18 year olds as it was the only place I could go.

"I was in that team for a year and a half and then moved to Queensland for five years and there was nothing up there. I was heavily into surf lifesaving so I could do that but I was always more of a footy girl."

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Drake's career started as every child starts theirs - in the backyard.

But she didn't have siblings to kick the footy with so she found another family member to fuel her desire.

"My uncle (Tim Roberts) is probably my biggest influence," she said.

"Because I have no brothers I wasn't really interested in it at the start but my uncle taught me how to kick a footy when I was four or five and we used to kick it around the backyard."

But Drake didn't take the same path her now South Warrnambool teammate did. Instead she tested herself in other sports before deciding on the one she ached to play.

"Ever since I was a kid I wanted to (play footy)," she said. "I tried netball, I tried basketball and none of them really suited me. Footy was the perfect match.

"I use to play at school in inter-school matches when we played the Clontarf team at Warrnambool College and I was on an all boys team there."

But now women's footy is booming in south-west Victoria with the Deakin University Female Football League's junior competition in its third season and the senior women's competition in its inaugural campaign.

In 2017, when the DUFFL officially started, 220 players from eight teams - South Warrnambool, Portland, Warrnambool, Old Collegians, Horsham Demons, Stawell, Hamilton Kangaroos and Horsham Saints - kick-started the region's desire for female football.

The following year another two teams - Timboon Demons and Cobden - and 74 players joined the junior league.

This year another 114 players jumped on as four senior sides - South, Portland, Hamilton and Horsham Demons- and one junior team in Terang Mortlake were created.

Now Auslebrook and Drake, who play in the Roosters' senior team, are experiencing the benefits football has on an individual.

For Drake, who works in four jobs including horse riding and at a service station, it has significantly boosted parts of her life.

"Its brought me out of my shell," the 18-year-old said. "I feel a lot more confident in other sports as well and I feel like it gives me a bit of direction.

"When I started playing footy I realised I'd like to be a PE teacher. I'd also like to influence younger girls to play footy because I definitely think it's a great sport.

"Physically it has definitely helped me with my job as I need to stay pretty fit. Emotionally it's one of those things where you build up a social group and it can help you through tough times."

Auslebrook said the state of the sport now is something "14-year-old Eve would've loved".

"It's a fun sport and it helps with character building being in a big group of people who are there for the same thing," the landscaping apprentice said.

"It's starting to take off and go down that avenue of not being as taboo to play anymore, which is fantastic."

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One south-west club which has never found women's footy taboo is South Warrnambool.

It has been one of the pioneers in the region in both junior and senior levels through the tireless work of members like Alicia Drew, the club's initial coach, Jock O'Connor and Michael Crutchfield.

Like the players, the club has also experienced a number of benefits because of its dedication.

"It's added another level of growth and diversity to the club," president Steve Harris said.

"It's also given the girls an outlet that probably was closed off to a large degree in the past and what I mean by that is not everyone is cut out for netball, given the nature of it being very cut throat with the limitations of the teams.

"It's a great thing for our club as it's given people the opportunity to play the sport they're passionate for and adds to the number of people involved, the members and the diversity of the club.

"Economically, there is more members and supporters to the club which boosts things like Thursday night teas, membership, merchandise and the whole revenue generated by the club is increased because of the additional participation."

Harris encouraged his counterparts to weigh up creating a team at their club.

"We've been very fortunate to have a couple of our committee as pioneers in getting it off the ground," he said.

"It's developing very quickly so we would certainly encourage other clubs to make a commitment and get on board as it will benefit the club as a whole."

South Warrnambool has close to 50 players in its senior squad but Harris said other clubs would benefit in time if they took the plunge on a team of their own.

"It will be a little slower for clubs to get to the level we have purely because we're one of the pioneers," he said.

"As clubs develop their own girls and women's program, there will be more options for them to play and there will be a natural equalisation of numbers over time."

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Harris said the key for other south-west clubs to emulate the Roosters' success was picking the right leaders.

"One of the keys, which our club has always maintained in our junior development program, is to get the right coaches," he said.

"They can assist with their development and need to have a passion for coaching and experience in coaching and playing themselves.

"It's really a matter of putting the feelers out there to get girls and women involved and supporting that with the structure of the club and making them feel welcome."

To make it sustainable Harris mentioned coaching as one critical factor in beginning and maintenance of a side.

"It's a combination of coaching, supporting their development, recognising they're an important part of the club and integrating them in as a whole," he said.

"From the top down you have to have a support network to make sure they feel valued and part of the club culture and make sure they have a reason to continue to come back."

AFL Western District general manager Rod Ward has seen how beneficial women's footy has been for his other region - AFL Goldfields.

"It strengthens clubs because inevitably it brings a new membership base and it brings a new volunteer base," he said.

"It makes clubs all the more inclusive. We find those clubs who embrace female football are stronger."

Ward said he wasn't surprised by the significant rise of women's football.

"We started female football in Ballarat six or seven years ago with four sides and we now have over 50," he said.

"It is a juggernaut and the success of the AFLW has just aspired more girls to play female football and it's important we provide a competition structure which allows the girls to follow their dreams.

"It's an exciting time to be a young girl - they have opportunities their mums didn't have in football and cricket and many other sports."

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Drake, Harris and Ward all mentioned facilities as the biggest challenge to female footy's sustainability.

Ward said this was one of two factors pivotal to the sport's continued growth.

"First of all, we have to make sure we have a welcoming environment at the club so the clubs have their cultures right so that females are comfortable coming into their clubs to play football and secondly it's to make sure we have female-friendly facilities," he said.

"That's something we've invested a lot of time and resources into in Goldfields and I am starting to do that in Western District.

"One of the other things we are doing is we're forming a local government reference group so that AFL Western District will be meeting with the six councils that our clubs are based in on a regular basis over the course of a year to talk about facility upgrades.

"We recognise the important role local government plays in the viability of our football clubs. They are our biggest partner, they own the facilities.

"Getting female-friendly at those clubs who have or wish to have female sides is critical."

Drake is a big advocate for others to get involved as football is now a perfect game for everyone and every club.

"A lot of my friends say 'oh I'd love to play' but they're a little bit worried because they haven't played before," she said.

"Everyone has to start somewhere and I was the same when I joined in 2016. I had no clue what I was doing.

"We are very inclusive and are not going to judge at all so come and give it a try."

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