ELITE female soccer players in Wagga busting to hone their skills at a more challenging level are finding their options are scarce.
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The under 16s Riverina team opens avenues for girls but the door closes once they come of age.
A progression path is required and a shake-up is long overdue according to Tolland women’s soccer coach Sam Gray.
“I don’t think the majority of women would be happy with the status quo going forward,” he said.
“Our girls need somewhere to play, whether long term they [Football Wagga] see it as a viable option is anyone’s guess.”
Gray wants to establish a representative women’s team but he’s under no illusions about the challenges that lie ahead.
He’s working with a Football Wagga sub-committee to prepare recommendations for 2016 and beyond.
“It comes down to what’s good for the football community as a whole,” Gray said.
Football Wagga president Erwin Budde’s equally concerned about player progression.
“We want to give some of our 16 year old girls something to continue to playing football for,” he said.
“After 16 they’ve got nowhere to go, we’re looking at finding an open-style tournament they can play in,” Budde said.
“We’re looking for opportunities for, like one off gala days, or a suitable competition in a market like Canberra.”
The sub-committee, established in June, has been split into two branches, one focused on women’s representative soccer.
Recommendations will be released by the end of the month.
“It’s a long road, we haven’t got anything in concrete at this stage,” Budde said.
