Development of females in any sport is different to the development of males. One of the biggest gaps identified in the WaiBOP region is retaining females in football through their teenage years and providing development opportunities for those committed to their football.
Unfortunately, in 2021 WaiBOP returned to mixed federation leagues with a Female Talent Development program for U13 and U15 talented players, designed to bridge the gap between club youth football and international youth competitions. The response was not that great for the FTD program and it didn’t get off the ground.
Our ambition with our program is to create both a female only Skills Centre (focused on players 7 – 12) and Talent Development Centre (focused on players 13 – 17) to provide development opportunities and allow female players to succeed to a high level of football.
Girls Only Skills Centre
The Skills Centre for players aged approximately 7 – 12, focusses on the Skill Acquisition phase of the NZ Football Curriculum – mastering foundation skills and application in training game environments.
Girls Only Talent Development Centre
The Talent Development Centre for players aged 13 – 17, focusses on high potential players and provides clear guidelines based on international best practice for youth football.
Click Here to view the NZF Girls in Football Map To Success
Click Here to view the NZF Youth Framework
Moving forward
We aim to provide qualified female coaches in an environment that nurtures player confidence, supports ambition and provides a clear pathway for youth female footballers locally, based on NZF directives.
For female youth moving forward, we believe it is important to encourage continued participation throughout the 12 – 17 year age group, these are the young ladies that will become club First team players, earn football scholarships overseas, National representatives at U17, U20 levels, play professionally worldwide and become Football Ferns. These are the young ladies that will become role models to the next generation.
GIRLS FOOTBALL PROGRAM 2023
The program is available to all female players between the ages of 7 – 17* of all abilities.
Term Three is an 8 week program with coaches trained in delivering to specific age groups – Groups will be combined or split depending on number of registrations.
Dates: Starts Monday February 13th 2023
Time:
4.00-5.10pm
Galloway Park
$98 for 7 weeks
Register for the Claudelands Rovers Mixed Skills Centre – if their are sufficient registrations we will split the Girls into a separate Group
We also like to provide external learning opportunities throughout the term. These are in addition to the Monday night trainings and maybe presented in person or online.
Email waikatofootballacademy to register your interest
#nurtureandchallenge
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do I need to belong to any particular club to join the Program?
No, players that join our program can belong to any club.
How long do I have to sign up for?
Each term is approximately 8 weeks, and registration is completed prior to each term. There is no obligation to sign up for more than one term.
What development model does your program follow?
The Girls Program follows the development aspects deemed essential by NZ Football. Appropriate sessions are planned and run according to the Skills Centre Manual or Talent Development Manual developed by NZ Football.