When is the girls’ 2021 AFL juniors season?

The Junior season for all teams kicks off in April. The season runs for 14 rounds (+finals) through to August with byes / public holidays. All games are on Sundays. We are still taking expressions of interest to play throughout the season, for more info please contact Junior Footy via email.

The fixture can be found here when it has been confirmed – NFNL Fixture, Results & Ladders

Training

All training will be held at our home ground, AH Capp Reserve, Halwyn Crescent, West Preston.  Auskick, U10s and U12s train one night a week. U14s, U16s, U18s teams train two nights a week.

What is the playing format for girls AFL?

Training will run for around 60mins, possibly slightly longer for U14s, 16s, 18s. Training will be a mix of skills, drills, fun small sided games. Under 10s and 12s play on a reduced pitch, with modified rules. U14s, U16s, U18s play on a full pitch with modified rules.

What level of commitment is required?

AFL is a team sport. The players develop their skills while enjoying playing the game with their peers and there is a strong emphasis on teamwork. Attendance at every session is not compulsory, however players are encouraged to try to make it to as many sessions as possible.

Who are the coaches?

The team and assistant coaches will hold the relevant Auskick, Junior, Youth, or Senior level 1 or 2 coaching qualification. At all times the sessions will be supervised by coaches with Working with Children Checks.

Is there a uniform?

For junior AFL programs, jerseys are $56. Shorts are $26 and socks $15. Players from all teams except for U10’s are required in 2018 to also have an away pair of red shorts. ($123 full kit, $97 full kit for U10s).

Falcons’ hoodies, polo shirts, bags and other merchandise in adults and kids sizes are also available to purchase from the club.

What is the cost per player?

We believe our fees are the most affordable for girls AFL in the area. Our fees are kept as low as possible to enable girls to play affordable sport. If the cost of sport is a barrier for your family please contact us to discuss flexible payment options. Fees will be set at the start of the season.

Fees include:

• All coached junior AFL sessions and games at the Darebin Women’s Sports Club
• Junior AFL membership & insurance
• Junior AFL equipment & other club costs (eg balls, goals, council fees, rates, league fees, insurance, etc)
• Access to additional sessions – such as a session run by external specialist tackling coach

Optional additional purchases if deemed necessary:

• Mouthguard (we use soft balls & will play with minimal contact, however these are optional)
• Footy boots (provides safety during muddy / slippery conditions)

Soccer Falcons – For players who are registered as a soccer player at the Falcons but want to play some AFL games as well, the club waives the registration fee to $25 only. Players will still be required to organise a uniform.

Volunteers

As a community club we aim to keep our fees low and subsidise many of the running costs through fundraising. We ask that each family will assist throughout the season with game day jobs such as sports trainer / first aid, Goal umpire, boundary umpire, team manager, umpire escort, or assisting in the canteen or at a sausage sizzle, etc. Without volunteers our community club can’t function!

Are parents required to stay during training sessions?

Darebin Women’s Sports Club advises parents to stay during training. We are a community club with activities run by volunteers, operating in a public park next to the creek. In winter trainings will take place under lights when it becomes dark in the surrounding area. While all care will be taken to ensure the safety of children and some safety measures have been put in place, the club is not set up to guarantee safety at all times. Therefore we advise that if you are concerned, please remain at the session with your children to supervise. All players should be picked up from the grassed area in front of the clubrooms. If your child is taking themselves home from training you must let us know that they will be leaving by themselves.