The 2019 season has seen a significant growth in the senior women’s programs at Montmorency Football Netball Club.
Both netball and football programs have grown significantly in size, with player numbers skyrocketing.
Peter Gray, senior female committee member and netball co-ordinator and coach, was previously the president of the Montmorency Junior Football Club when the female football program began in 2011.
Since then, the program has grown substantially in numbers throughout both football and netball programs, with the numerous actions taken by the club, including its community inclusiveness, contributed to this growth.
“To have over 100 females play senior football and netball in 2019 is something that we are immensely proud of,” Gray said.
“The female footy program at Montmorency has grown beyond my wildest dreams.”
The senior female program leaders say they realised that the key to sustainable success is to provide a program that is “accessible, affordable and inclusive”.
“The MFNC is a very welcoming and inclusive club, which prides itself on being progressive and forward thinking,” Gray said.
“We have successfully targeted female participation as a priority to grow and develop our club and its people.
“The NFNL provides an excellent environment in which females can play footy and netball in a well-run, professional league which caters for a wide range of skills and experience.”
Gail Blythe, female football director, said she believes the reason the club have been so successful is because of the inclusive culture.
“As female footy has grown across the entire state we have also grown with it by ensuring we provide players with great resources and a strong focus on player welfare,” she said.
“To have two successful senior footy teams is something that everyone at the MFNC is immensely proud of.”
However, the major growth in playing numbers has put a strain on resources.
“With such significant growth there are always growing pains,” Gray said.
“The challenges of running community sports fuelled by volunteer labour are plentiful.
“We require additional training facilities and the quest for more volunteers is always a goal.”
Gray said that from its initial beginning in 2011, the female football program at Montmorency has doubled in size growing from one senior football team to two and the netball has followed, also doubling from two teams last season to four senior sides.
“Everyone at the MFNC is immensely proud of the unprecedented level of female participation at the club,” Gray said.
“Our netball program has been an outstanding success over the past few years with multiple premierships in the highly competitive NFNL league.”
The successful growth of their program wasn’t without challenges – particularly in regard to the female football program.
“The main challenge was simply to obtain significant players,” Gray said.
“In netball this was not a problem at all, in fact we had to cap the number of players/teams well before the start of the season”.
The football program had the challenge of seeking out 20 new players willing to commit to the 2019 season.
The club attributes strong promotion and word of mouth to overcoming this challenge successfully and receiving the substantial growth of the program it has received.
The developments of these senior programs have a significant impact at a junior level in various ways, including providing female footballers with the opportunity to progress in their sport beyond the junior level.
“One of the main reasons we introduced a second senior female footy team was to assist with the pathway from the juniors to senior footy for our females,” Blythe said.
Currently the club has a total of 211 registered female footballers, with 59 of them being senior players distributed between the two teams.
Gray is also looking to expand the opportunities for junior players by establishing a junior netball program.
“Ideally this would be in conjunction with the NFNL establishing a junior netball league,” Gray said.
The goal for the directors of these programs in the future is to expand the programs and continue to obtain the necessary and important volunteers.
“Season 2020 will see us expand on the netball program by one to two teams,” Gray said.
“This will be depending upon attracting coaches and the availability of training facilities”.
Blythe said the football program would be looking to maintain the current two teams with another strong season on the field.
Not only has the number of players grown, but the standard and expectations from coaches and players has also been elevated.
Three of the netball teams are currently set to play in the finals, while both football teams are also locked in for top-five finishes in the Division 1 and Division 3 competitions respectively.
The growth of the club’s female footy program has also produced talent of all levels, including AFLW draftees, two All Australian footballers and a player becoming the Victorian state team under-18 captain.
Warren Harris, coach of the Division 1 women’s football team, said he loved coaching at the club and that witnessing the development of the players gives him “a great sense of satisfaction and enjoyment”.
“To see the MFNC now field two senior female footy teams is testament to the hard work done by everyone involved with the program,” Harris said.
“Last season it was a great thrill to make the grand final in Division 2.
“This year the team has really adapted well to step up to Division 1 and we hope we can once again have a strong finals campaign”.
Gray said the directors of the club said they are “simply delighted” with the on field and on court performances of all the teams this season and that the performances have greatly exceeded their expectations.
“We have had a fantastic season to date and no doubt season 2020 will once again see the MFNC female program be prosperous and dynamic for everyone involved in it,” Gray said.
