Young women’s football players in the Illawarra are being held back without a clear pathway to the A-league.
The Illawarra Stingrays football club compete in the Women’s National Premier League (WNPL), yet players believe they are not given the opportunity to work their way up through the club.
Brielle Masters has played for the Stingrays for six years and said that the team doesn’t have a direct program for players to get into the women’s premier league team, rather players are picked through their appearances at a junior level.
“I would like to see in the future a stronger pathway into the A League Women’s Division from the Stingrays,” Ms Masters said.
“they do tend to look at players through the NPL league if they are playing first grade and making team each week.”
Ms Masters said that the Stingrays aren’t promoting enough players to professional play.
“We don’t have many players being promoted into the A-league but there have been a handful from the past,” Ms Masters said.
Helena Halios-Lewis who has played for the Stingrays for eight years said the club fails to develop players at the highest level.
“The club provides opportunities for girls to perform at the highest level of NPL but there isn’t enough for an A league level,” Ms Halios-Lewis said.
Despite the lack of opportunities to climb the ranks, players enjoy representing the Stingrays as they have a supportive culture throughout the club.
Ms Halios-Lewis said that the club looks after its younger players.
“they are always doing bonding activities with the younger girls which really makes it feel like a family,” Ms Halios-Lewis said.
“As the only female football club in the league we aspire to make a difference and support young girls in their footballing careers.”
As Women’s football continues to grow, the Stingrays need to provide more opportunities for young players to make the jump.
