IN an historic move, Woorinen Football Netball Club will field a women’s football team in the Central Victorian Football League in 2023.
Kerang has fielded a team in the competition the past two seasons, but with the Blues opting out this year, the Tigers have leapt in to take up the mantle.
Female football co-ordinator Naomi Lewis told The Guardian that entering a team in the CVFL had been a long-term project for the club.
“We had a sense a few years ago that once our youth girls finished, we’d want to keep them under our banner and at the time, the only place they could go was Kerang,” Lewis said.
“But we were also aware the region probably couldn’t support a second women’s side, so the opportunity has only come since Kerang pulled their team.”
The team will be led by former VFLW player and Tigers product Katelyn Hazlett, announced on Wednesday night as a player-coach alongside youth girls coach Jason Murphy.
Hazlett played for Darebin in the VFLW for two seasons in 2021 and 2022.
She will return to the Tigers in prime touch after spending the summer playing with the Northern Territory Football League’s Darwin Buffaloes.
Lewis said the club was ecstatic with the appointment.
“She’s gone through her career under some fantastic coaches, played representative footy and has a wealth of experience for such a young person,” she said.
“The girls are very aware of what she’s achieved and as a footy program, we like to make history a part of our learning – and Katelyn is a big part of that history, being one of the girls who were here at the start.”
Expectations are high at the Tigers – even though it is their first season, they hope to take the CVFL by storm.
With an experienced side at their disposal, Lewis said they were heading down to make their mark.
“We want to finish pretty high up on the ladder,” she said.
“Our list has got the calibre to be very competitive and these girls have played plenty of women’s footy, so they’re under no illusion of what it’s about.
“I think these high hopes have been shown in our numbers and interest – after Katelyn was announced the other night, the response has been overwhelming, we’ve fielded plenty of excited messages.”
The senior side completed the women’s football pathway at the Tigers, with under-12s to seniors and everything in between now provided by the club.
Lewis said the Tigers were getting the old gang back together.
“Quite a few players in our women’s program came through our youth girls pathway from the inauguration year in 2015 to our premiership seasons in 2016 and 2017,” she said.
While players will be donning the yellow and black, Lewis said this was a team for the whole region.
“I think with the maiden year of the Northern Junior Girls competition last year, we knew there were girls out there who wanted to play football,” she said.
“Even though this comes under a WFNC banner, it doesn’t matter what club you’ve played your junior footy at – this is a place where you can continue your football journey.”
The Tigers’ first game will be on Sunday, April 30, away against Bendigo Thunder.
They will have to wait until round 4 against Castlemaine to play in front of the Tigers faithful.
