It is fitting that on this International Women’s Day, we announce that Football NSW will be celebrating Female Football Week from the 1st to 9th May 2021.
Since Football NSW pioneered Female Football Week back in 2014, the event has become a nation-wide celebration of females in all aspects of football.
Football Australia’s national celebration is held around International Women’s Day each year. Whilst Football NSW recognises and supports the national celebrations, our dates are during the winter season to better enable our Associations and Clubs to deliver events and content at a time when the majority of our 200,000+ participants actively playing.
Football NSW CEO Stuart Hodge is eagerly anticipating the week and is excited to see all elite and grassroots clubs getting involved.
“Football for girls and women has shown remarkable resilience and strength in recent years – despite the effects of COVID-19 and the temporary suspension of football in 2020, female player numbers went up in 2020.
“Nearly 56,000 women and girls played club football in winter 2020.
“In 2021, we are seeing that women and girls across NSW are signing up in record numbers, and we want to celebrate this incredible growth in female football.
“The buzz is building from grassroots to our National Premier Leagues about the FIFA Women’s World Cup in just two years, and the massive shot in the arm that this will give to female football right across Australia.”
Football NSW’s Strategic Projects Manager Jo Fernandes is hopeful that Female Football Week activities will attract more females to not only the designated events, but more importantly to the sport overall.
“Whilst the suspension of football in the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak caused the cancellation of our 2020 Female Football Week events, in 2019 Football NSW had over 40 registered events from both Metropolitan and Regional Associations and Clubs.
“It is anticipated that with the excitement building around the female game, even more Associations and Clubs will want to conduct events this year. Our internal organising committee, along with our Women’s Standing Committee, will be available to guide and help in the planning and delivery of activities in all areas of the game – playing, coaching, refereeing and administration.
“We hope that by including two weekends and Mother’s Day in our Female Football Week, all Associations and Clubs will have the opportunity to have a wonderful celebration of female football during the first week in May.”