Over 500 lucky students were running around in North Adelaide last Friday, as part of Adelaide’s biggest ever Optus Crows Cup.
The Cup is a series of girls only interschool carnivals aimed at encouraging young females to give football a go in a fun and safe environment.
It started in 2016 with only two carnivals and 280 students participating, and has grown to over 30 carnivals across 2019 with almost 5000 students involved.
Schools from all around South Australia participate in the Optus Crows Cup and the North Adelaide carnival was no different.
Students from Hillcrest Primary School were among the participants, a school that has students from many different cultures and from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Michael Marino, a teacher at Hillcrest, coached the school’s team and said it was the first time most of the girls had ever picked up a football, let alone played.
“We’ve got girls in our team today from about 13 different cultural backgrounds, and handballing has been a bit of fun, a new thing for them,” Michael said.
“The competition today has provided them with a good opportunity to have a go, have a run and some of them have shown that they are quite natural players and have picked it up quite quickly.
“They are all competitive and like to play which is fantastic, but it is days like this where the girls get the opportunity to put their skills on show.”
Michael said if it weren’t for the carnival, it’s unlikely the girls would have a chance to play.
“We’ve got girls that have recently come from another country to Australia and the school, so it is a massive thing to be part of days like this,” he said.
“It’s really good for their confidence, to be part of a team and it’s not just about the academic side, but also the social and exercise that comes with it.
“They are really enjoying it and I reckon there are some that will want to play more footy after this.”
Inspired by the AFLW, Mirakii, a student from Hampstead Primary School, recently started playing club football and dreams of playing professionally.
She enjoyed being involved in the Optus Crows Cup and playing with friends that had not played football before.
“I’m very proud of my teammates because they took some convincing to come out but now, they are really enjoying it and I think some will start playing football like me,” Mirakii said.
“I want to be the next Erin Phillips, I love watching her play and want to win everything like she has.”
By the end of 2019, the Crows community team will have engaged with an estimated 12,00 girls, through AFC female football programs, clinics and carnivals held in metro and country communities.
That introduction to football is a large reason why the number of female participation rate has jumped from 16 youth girls teams in 2016, to 242 teams in 2019.
