Roxburgh Park’s women’s side is returning for 2024 under the watch and care of new coach Kevin Allan.
The Magpies were an inaugural member of the Essendon District Football League’s women competition in 2018 however, it only lasted two years, having not returned to the field since the 2019 season.
Allan a strong advocate for women’s football said the club is in a strong position off the field to support the demands of a women’s side.
He said he is prepared to start from scratch, teach new players the ropes while they learn the game. While the start may be tough he doesn’t anticipate they’ll be down the bottom for long.
“I’m very excited about it all to be honest,” he said.
“I think the people in charge of the club at the moment are really steering the club in the right direction and it makes it exciting to be with the ladies program, so I’m very excited.”
At this stage the club only has 13 women signed, however some of them are returning to the club, giving a vote of confidence in Allan and the club. The club has announced several signings on social media already.
“I think there’s going to be more as well, it’s very early stages and I haven’t really done any active recruiting,” he said.
“It’s very promising signs and I think that once people get the feedback of what we’re trying to do as a program they’ll jump on board.”
Coming from Westmeadows, which has a very successful women’s program, Allan knows what it takes to build the right structures for women in the sport.
A women’s sub committee at the Magpies is a step in the right direction, he said.
“I think they (the club) are treating women’s footy as it should be treated,” he said.
“There’s a lot of clubs in the area that are giving ladies’ football lip service, but not as dedicated to the cause.
“I think too many men in particular are just looking at ladies’ football and see it for what they want it to be rather than what it is.
“I want to build on that and teach the girls to play the right way… come up with a game plan that helps them understand the game more and why we do things.”
With about 15 more girls wanted for the side, Allan said they were keen to have anyone come down and play.
“I’m happy to work with players, I’m happy to teach the basics if someone can’t kick or anything like that, I’m happy to go through it,” he said.
“We’re not playing for sheep stations, it’s for a bit of fun or to learn the game properly but whatever evolves out of that we’ll take along the way.”
If you’re interested in playing at the Magpies for next season, contact Kevin on 0438 443 544.
