Tauranga’s Blue Rovers Football Club is making significant strides in developing a girls' pathway, from first kicks through to senior women’s football. 

In 2024, Blue Rovers formed a Grade 15/16 team in the Baywide Youth competition, establishing a full pathway for girls—from Grade 8 through to the Senior Women’s W-League side. “We've had girls-only teams for years and have always participated in Women and Girls month, but we identified a gap in our pathway,” says Cath Wheeler, the Women & Girls Co-ordinator at the club. “There were no girls-only youth teams for our 14-16 year olds, so we lacked a clear progression from junior to senior levels.”

A key achievement this year is having at least one girls-only team across every grade, with a particular focus on player welfare and development. “Our major win has been creating a full development pathway,” says Wheeler. “Girls now have a stepping stone to senior football, ensuring they are ready both physically and mentally.” 

The club is committed to offering opportunities for girls at all levels, from those aiming for the W-League to those interested in social teams. Wheeler, who has been the club's girls coordinator for the last five years, says this year the support of a second female co-ordinator, Leonie Gordon, has made a real difference to the support they offer the Blue Rovers women and girls. 

Initiatives like the Wahine Toa programme from WaiBOP Football have helped the growth, by connecting girls from different clubs and schools.

Other initiatives, like the girls-only social 5 aside league in summer – with a social and a competitive league – have proved popular, and encourage girls to stay involved in football.

The club have embraced NZ Football initiatives to attract more girls to football, like the MILO Fantails programme for 7-12-year-olds and the "Kickin It" programme for 13-19-year-olds. 

“We encourage girls and parents to get involved as coaches or volunteers. It fosters a sense of community and provides role models for younger players,” Wheeler says.

One example is the W-League team captain Skyla Dix, who is 17 and the head coach for the MILO Fantails programme. Wheeler believes seeing women coaching, refereeing, and playing strengthens girls’ sense of belonging at the club. 

Director of Football Chris Acott joined the club towards the end of the 2023 season. He says his focus has been on sustainable growth of the club, and he sees supporting the volunteer coaches as a key element of his role. Keeping registration affordable is a fundamental principle of the club, and volunteer coaches are key to this. 

He supports coaches through regular coaching workshops, tools like coachmate from New Zealand football, a Facebook group for sharing tips and tools, and regular conversations on the pitch. “Coaches know I’m just a phone call away,” he says. 

He says that if players and coaches have an enjoyable time, they’ll come back again next year – so his job is to help coaches deliver an enjoyable season. 

Blue Rovers is one of several Tauranga clubs, and Acott says that’s good for the club. “It’s healthy for our players to have a choice of where and how they want to play football. Our girls can chose to play football in girls only teams, or choose to play in mixed teams with boys. We have social teams and more competitive teams who travel to play – the important part is ensuring that players get the right challenge point to enjoy their games; and develop into better footballers.”

The club's approach is paying off, with strong player retention and a thriving community. As Wheeler puts it: “It’s been a team effort, taking our families on the journey with us.”
 

Article added: Friday 30 August 2024