Dear Demonland,

Just had a thought. Would a separate forum dedicated to the women's game be appropriate? Would there be enough support amongst fellow Demonlanders for such a move?

It's an exciting time for Melbourne having been at the forefront of female footy by sponsoring the local league for many years and their performances in the exhibition games has been incredible. With each year and each exhibition game I've noticed a real shift in the thinking of the average Demonlander. There seems to be a genuine acceptance of and excitement about female footy in general and the role we could play in the proposed 2017 National Competition. I'd be interested to hear from the owners and moderators of the site and the Demonland populace as to whether this is a good idea and one that would garner sufficient support to make it worthwhile.

I'd be happy to moderate the forum.

Cheers

Good idea in theory, but to me the women's team is still part of the Melbourne Football Club.  This part of the forum is here to discuss the club, not just the team, and they are a big part of it.  They don't need their own forum as we can still have plenty of discussion here and include them in that.

I want to support the women's game, but I think if it were kept on a separate forum I'd never look at it.

I hope any of you that have been to the brilliant games so far, as I have, will agree with me that MFC has to have a women's team and it has to be part of the fabric of the club. As such, Demonland 'as is' would cover it, for its highs and lows, goods and bads, likes and dislikes - the same as, for example, Casey (or a future standalone or Ressies or whatever) is or would be included. Personally I'm looking forward to an MFC womens team in 2017 doing what the Melbourne City women are doing right now! Silverware!

Too early for a separate forum, Goodvibes.

A women's game 'thread' would be a great entry level to test the waters when the league kicks off and gains momentum.

 

Hi Goodvibes. I think your idea is great and I'm all for it.  

I'm currently on my way to Rio de Janeiro but when I come back I will speak with Andy (Demonland) about it.

Just one question for you GV and that is where did you get your interest in the women's game?

... also, a happy new year to all and let's hope we hear the tune to Old Lang Syne far more often than just tonight over 2016 and well into September thanks!

I assume you mean a separate section of Demonland, not a new website entirely? I see no reason why Melbourne Demons - Women's Team couldn't be added alongside Melbourne Demons, General Discussion, Fantasy Footy, etc.

On ‎30‎/‎12‎/‎2015 at 3:06 PM, Wiseblood said:

Good idea in theory, but to me the women's team is still part of the Melbourne Football Club.  This part of the forum is here to discuss the club, not just the team, and they are a big part of it.  They don't need their own forum as we can still have plenty of discussion here and include them in that.

Wise, I guess I see the potential for lots of different types of discussion all focused on our women's team. I can envisage different threads dedicated to the exhibition games, the national competition structure, updates from different state competitions and individual players. In addition I'd love to create a thread that contains a collection of videos that provide people with a real insight into the women's game. I could obviously do this on the main board but feel they deserve a place to be kept together.

On ‎30‎/‎12‎/‎2015 at 3:21 PM, Mach5 said:

I want to support the women's game, but I think if it were kept on a separate forum I'd never look at it.

Mach, I'd make it one of my key jobs to keep the key threads updated and interesting so that the women's game is regularly on the opening page of the site.

On ‎30‎/‎12‎/‎2015 at 10:40 PM, McQueen said:

Too early for a separate forum, Goodvibes.

A women's game 'thread' would be a great entry level to test the waters when the league kicks off and gains momentum.

 

I think we've already done this McQueen. After each exhibition game, a thread has been created and each year these threads have received more attention and a more positive response.

On ‎30‎/‎12‎/‎2015 at 6:42 AM, Whispering_Jack said:

Hi Goodvibes. I think your idea is great and I'm all for it.  

I'm currently on my way to Rio de Janeiro but when I come back I will speak with Andy (Demonland) about it.

Just one question for you GV and that is where did you get your interest in the women's game?

... also, a happy new year to all and let's hope we hear the tune to Old Lang Syne far more often than just tonight over 2016 and well into September thanks!

Thanks WJ. I really stumbled into the women's game. As a teacher I enjoyed coaching the boys I taught but up here in QLD I couldn't escape the number of potential competitions that were being created specifically for girls. I've heard quite a few people question the numbers QLD boasts in terms of female participation but the effort they put into the school competitions is amazing and that's why their participation rates are so high. I think we've moved past WA who are quite strong and are now serious competition at U18 level with Victoria. About 14 years ago our school program started with a little 9-a-side team that got absolutely smashed by everyone. In the first minute of our first game, one of my girls dislocated her knee cap and I wasn't sure this whole thing was such as good idea. But we got more and more serious and as a school we became the best in QLD for a few years, even toured Victoria and headed out to Wonthaggi for a game against the then state champions. As much as I enjoyed coaching the boys, they were all club driven and school footy was very much secondary. School footy to the girls became almost club-like. They trained two afternoons a week and did a gym session or two as well. That's when I realised how serious these girls could get. Unlike the boys, the improvement you see is so huge and as a consequence the satisfaction gained as a coach is massive. Oh and they listen! After a few years my best girls finished school and a few of them moved into clubs to play senior footy. After a couple of more years, they convinced me to come and coach them. I spent a couple of years coaching a senior team in the Brisbane/Gold Coast Comp but had to ease out of the scene when my second kid came along. After a year, I realised how much I missed it and got back involved with some younger girls. We started in 15s and we're now in 17s and are pulling together a senior team to play in the second tier of footy up here. The club I'm now at is right near my school and we'll have teams in 11s, 13s, 15s, 17s and seniors. I'm hopeful that when my kids are a little older I might coach as senior level again with the kids I started off with 4 years ago. There is a genuine pathway for the girls now. In addition they can play representative school footy with state carnivals at U12 and U15 level. And outside of school they have an U14 and U17 state championship. Whilst the standard of the exhibition games has been solid, the next generation of players are a cut above the current seniors. We're now seeing Auskick kids floating into club competitions and entering senior level with a real background in the game. Once the national comp gets underway, it may have a few teething problems but the elite talent from Netball, Soccer and Cricket will start flooding our way. The AFL will seriously support the comp and I wouldn't be surprised if the best few players in each team will be making over $100,000 a year. When young girls see that potential and have the pathway in place to support their progress, the standard in 8 - 10 years should be quite impressive. A lot of people have been impressed with the exploits of Tayla Harris. Unlike most of the other girls involved in the exhibition games (especially from QLD) who've come to the sport late in their youth or even in their twenties, Tayla has had a traditional football journey comparable to most boys. I can only imagine how good the quality of competition will be when the bulk of the players have a decade of footy behind them like Tayla.

I wrote an article at the conclusion of my last year of senior coaching that shares a fair bit of info on Tayla and her exploits prior to playing in the exhibition games and taking 'that mark'.

http://www.foxsportspulse.com/team_info.cgi?client=1-109-82635-158132-10295392&sID=247343&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=20586526

Cheers,

Ross