By Ashleigh McIntosh
Former Collingwood star and new Gold Coast SUNS recruit Josh Fraser has been appointed Female Football Ambassador for the 2011 season.
Fraser is dedicated to promoting female football in Queensland with an aim to increase participation levels, develop competition standards and to increase the exposure of the youth girls and women’s competitions.
The ambassadorial role is pivotal to the growth of female football within the State, with the appointment solidifying the AFLQ and Gold Coast SUNS’ joint stance to further develop and promote female football.
The partnership between the AFLQ and the Gold Coast Suns in their inaugural season shows a commitment from both organisations to endorse and uphold the values outlined in the AFL’s Respect and Responsibility Policy.
Fraser’s involvement in the initiative began by running a training session between the Palm Beach women’s and Carrara Under 17/18 teams.
“Tonight was a great opportunity to take training and watch the players in action. I was really impressed with the standard and ability of the players for those who took part and I am looking forward to assisting in promoting the development of Female Football,” Fraser said.
This new initiative follows the Gold Coast’s dominance in the SEQ Under 18 Youth Girls team, emerging as the competition’s powerhouse and reigning premiers since their inaugural 2009 season.
With the restructure of the Under 18 Youth Girls competition, the Gold Coast Warriors will be based out of Carrara JFC for the 2011 season.
The 2011 season will also see the Gold Coast introduce a local modified Under 17 Youth Girls competition to further nurture and develop youth girls’ AFL within the region particularly focusing on recruiting new players into the game.
While the fixture is yet to be determined, prospective teams from Carrara, Broadbeach, Coomera, Coolangatta and Palm Beach Currumbin have all shown interest.
Both competitions will run on a fortnightly basis to accommodate the demands of high school and tertiary study with the Under 18 competition beginning on the 15 April and the Under 17 League set to kick off at the end of the month.
The Gold Coast will also be fielding a team in the senior competition for the first time in three years with Palm Beach Currumbin joining Brisbane teams Logan, Zillmere, Morningside, Yeronga and Kedron.
The AFL Queensland Senior Women’s League starts on Sunday 3 April with Logan hosting the first round in a carnival format from 10am, with the second and third games scheduled for 12pm and 2pm respectively.
For more information on the AFLQ partnership with the Gold Coast SUNS and the appointment of Josh Fraser, see ‘Gold Coast Suns Support the Development of Female Football in 2011’.
