In 2007 Ringwood City Soccer Club undertook to deliberately build a junior girls program from the grass roots level starting with just two girls playing in an U9 mixed team.  The club has steadily added teams each season and in 2011had nearly 40 girls ranging from age 9 to 15 playing across three teams.  Girls now make up over 15 % of the clubs junior membership and this figure continues to grow each season.  

With the new facilities at Jubilee Park the club is anticipating a surge in junior memberships and the girls are a strong focus for this growth.  The immediate goal is to have a healthy girls SSF program, with girls aged from five to eleven, feeding new talent into the junior age groups with teams at U11, U12, U14 and U16 anticipated for the 2012 season.  This will provide over 70 girls in the club across up to six teams during 2012.  The vision for the girls program is that the club will be able to make the link from SSF, through the junior age groups, into a senior program.  Girls will see Ringwood as a dynamic and competitive club where they have the possibility to emulate senior players.  The senior players of the future will get involved in the SSF and junior girls programs and provide inspiration for girls to remain in the game and with the club. 

The key challenges we face are firstly in attracting the youngest girls to the club, the five to nine year olds, and secondly in establishing a senior women’s team. A program specifically targeted at the younger girls called “Mini Matildas” is envisaged and there will be a concerted effort from the club to encourage girls to try soccer at a young age. Establishment of a senior women’s team is the other important challenge the club faces and it is important the club takes steps now to establish a team so that the current U16 juniors can see a pathway forward if they wish to remain in soccer. It is expected that the juniors that transition to a senior women’s team will strengthen the team in the years to come.

The Ringwood City girl’s soccer program has come a long way in the last 4 years and the future is bright with fantastic new facilities and a growing girls player base. The club will only go from strength to strength with the girls and women’s programs in the future.