Football Wagga will hold a Female Football Festival on Sunday in a bid to capitalise on an exciting time for the sport.
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The FIFA Women's World Cup will be held in Australia next year and Football Wagga want to get in on the action by introducing as many females as possible to the sport.
Football Wagga are encouraging girls aged between eight and 16 to head to Gissing Oval on Sunday between 4pm and 6pm for the inaugural Female Football Festival.
It will be a chance for girls to be introduced to soccer with games and giveways, including a signed Sydney FC jersey, to be part of the afternoon.
Football Wagga development officer Liam Dedini said it was the perfect time for girls to give the world game a try.
"The main target is to increase participation in female football, especially leading into next year having a World Cup on home soil," Dedini said.
"We'll have a massive drive this year and next year in female football. We're slowly seeing gradual growth and we're expanding a new format with our all-girls competitions."
There will be three Football Wagga's all-girls competitions this year with under 8-9s, under 10-11-12s and under 13-14-15s.
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The 13-15s age group has been moved to Saturday afternoon at Rawlings Park in a bid to avoid clashes with netball.
"There's been talk of the past of players who want to give it a crack and play but they're obviously playing netball and there is a clash," Dedini said.
"So hopefully now with that older age group, it can be just like the boys who play AFL and soccer etc. Still play two sports and come and have a kick around.
"Then after that they go into the Leonard and Madden Cup, which is senior football, so there is a clear pathway now."
Already 60 girls have registered for Sunday's event but Football Wagga hope to get numbers to 100 by Sunday.
"The whole idea is to get new girls. Make it a football festival and a barbeque after it and keep growing women's sport," Dedini said.
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