A NEW pathway for junior female footballers in Victoria, the TAC Cup Girls competition, starts this weekend, with the Murray Bushrangers and Bendigo Pioneers meeting at Punt Road Oval on Saturday.
Introduced by AFL Victoria, each of the 12 teams represented on the boys' side will also field a female side made up of under-18 players: Bendigo Pioneers, Calder Cannons, Dandenong Southern Stingrays, Eastern Ranges, Geelong Falcons, Gippsland Power, Greater Western Victoria Rebels, Murray Bushrangers, Northern Knights, Oakleigh Chargers, Sandringham Dragons and Western Jets.
This year will see a five-round season, with plans to expand in the future. Each match will consist of 15-minute quarters, and the premiership will be awarded to the side on top of the ladder at the end of the season, which finishes on April 14.
AFL Victoria CEO Steven Reaper said the new system would help develop more talent for the NAB AFL Women's competition, which is in its inaugural season.
"Within footy circles, the TAC Cup has become synonymous with producing some of the game's top talent," Reaper said.
"With the launch of TAC Cup Girls, we're really excited to see Victoria's female talent develop and one day play on the main stage in the NAB AFLW or Swisse VFL Women’s competitions.
"It's about creating a new generation of leaders and role models for young Victorian females, and the support of TAC will help us achieve that.
"We can already see the first round of young women to come out of the Towards Zero Girls Academies into the AFLW having a profound effect on our community, and we look forward to seeing that continue to grow with TAC Cup Girls."
A competition best and fairest and leading goalkicker will be announced at season's end.
