Over 100 young female players have enjoyed the first-ever FIFA Live Your Goals event to be held in Australia.
Threatening clouds and some light rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the school-aged attendees at Valentine Sports Park in Sydney, home of Football NSW.
The FIFA Live Your Goals programme – one of the world governing body’s primary initiatives for women’s football – aims to create awareness and to develop football for girls and women in their respective countries.
The youngsters on hand enjoyed skill-based activities and Miniroos small-sided games, as well as having the opportunity to meet some of Australia’s top players.
Current Matildas and Australian ‘Live Your Goals’ Ambassadors Elise Kellond-Knight, Lisa De Vanna and Steph Catley were all on hand to assist the young attendees, and at the same time act as role-models to aspiring footballers.
“It was really enjoyable, but great to see so many young players come out in pretty average weather,” said Kellond-Knight.
“I certainly never had the chance to go to an all female football event was I was young.
“There was lots of interactive stuff. We had two age groups – in the morning with the youngsters was about all getting involved and just simply having fun, and in the afternoon we had the chance to do more skill-related activities with the older players.
“We did a signing session at the end and all the kids without fail said they had a great time. It was quite relaxed but loads of fun.”
The objectives of the FIFA Live Your Goals campaign are to: increase the popularity of women’s football locally, nationally and globally; spark, foster and generate excitement about women’s football; increase participation of girls and women in football; create the best platforms for women’s football to thrive, with more females becoming lifelong participants in the sport; and ensure that football is the number one sport for females across the globe in terms of participation and popularity.
The FFA hope to take roll-out the FIFA Live Your Goals programme around the country in the future.
