Congratulations go to the Northern Territory Indigenous Youth Girls team, which ran out victors over the Victorian side in the Kickstart Youth Girls National Championships.

In a well fought out battle, the final scores saw the Northern Territory 6.9.45 defeating Victoria 6.1.37.

The Kickstart Youth Girls initiative has been a key driver in developing young male indigenous footballers for more than six years and now incorporates a Youth Girls component to cater for the growing number of girls playing football.

In a milestone for both indigenous and female football, the first ever Kickstart Youth Girls National Championships was held in Melbourne, with teams representing every state in Australia.

The Melbourne Football Club took the opportunity to take the Northern Territory team on a tour of AAMI Park, the MCG and the National Sports Museum.

AFL Victoria’s Indigenous Programs Manager, Aaron Clark, said Kickstart was designed to use football as a vehicle to promote awareness in participation, health, education and employment to indigenous communities.

“The Kickstart program might be football based, and the girls will certainly have the opportunity to improve their skills, but it’s also about developing young leaders and strengthening their knowledge of their cultural heritage,” Clark said.

The Club would like to congratulate all participants, and commends the AFL on a great initiative.