By JARROD POTTER
UPDATE: Pakenham under-12s will play their first Youth Girls match at 8.40am on Sunday 12 July at Timbarra Reserve, Timbarra.
THE wait is finally over for Pakenham’s latest football team.
Cranbourne, Narre Warren, Beaconsfield and Timbarra will have new competition starting after the bye as Pakenham’s Youth Girls under-12 team roars into existence.
Getting the team to join the under-12 girls ranks – open to any girls who are currently 10-to-12 years old – Pakenham JFC secretary Joanne Mateariki said it was long overdue for the Lions to create a side and ensure the local girls were able to play the sport they loved, too.
“We’ve waited long enough to have a girls’ team in Pakenham,” Mateariki said.
“It’s just something that we wanted to have in place this year – it’s not fair that the girls have to keep waiting year after year for the start of the season.
“I thought we had to do it now and the girls had waited long enough.”
“I was talking to a mum the other night (who said) that she feels so much better that her daughter wants to play football and can play in a team with girls and she won’t feel out of place.
“It’s not usually like that with the kids – they usually accept that the girls are playing – but now that footy is recognised as a female sport as well as and a male sport – we have to have a girls team as it’s the right thing to do.”
Mateariki encouraged parents and players alike to come along and give Youth Girls footy a chance – with club training sessions every Friday from 5pm at Toomuc Reserve.
“Bring them down – we’re waiting for them – we really want as many girls as we can to come down and have a go,” Mateariki said.
“It’s something that everyone in the club is really excited about – the amount of people standing around the other night having a geek was great.”
“They just need to come down and have a try – there’s no obligation.”
The club is also pursuing the possibility of entering a Youth Girls AFL-9s team at the end of the year with a view to create a top-age Youth Girls team for 2016.
AFL South East Football (Region) development manager Michael Roberts will run a Youth Girls information night at Pakenham Junior Football Club clubrooms on Tuesday from 5.30pm.
If anyone is interested in joining up to play for the Pink Lions, contact the club on pjfc@bigpond.com
More information is available at www.pakenhamjfc.com.au/girls-footy-pakenham-junior-football-club
