The Southern Districts Soccer Football Association (SDSFA) is making football cheaper and easier for girls than ever before with the offer of a rebate to clubs who can get together girls teams in the under-6 and under-8 age groups.
The offer will provide a $400 cashback rebate to clubs who can pass savings onto the families of girls between five and eight looking to play football in 2020.
As seen by the incredible rise of women’s sport, more and more girls are getting active by participating in team sports and football remains top of the list when it comes to participation numbers.
The SDSFA’s offer will help ensure that getting started in football is more affordable than ever with the cost of registration close to nothing between the $400 cashback given to clubs per registered under-6 and under-8 girls team and the New South Wales government’s Active Kids voucher.
SDSFA competition coordinator Mathew Vukasin said the rebate program was in its third year and had been a great success so far.
“We’ve seen about a 25 per cent increase year-on-year since we started offering the rebate,” he said.
“Between the rebate and the Active Kids voucher, the girls are basically playing for free.
“We know that girls like to play football with girls and we know that we have a much better chance of keeping them engaged with the sport in all-girl competitions as opposed to making them play with the boys in a mixed competition.
“We had four teams before we did it the first year. After the first year we had six, and last year we had eight, so we’re hoping for similar growth again this year.”
The SDSFA also has a big focus on referee retention and are running a number of referee courses for new officials and existing referees looking to upskill.
Throughout the year, the SDSFA and Football New South Wales also run a number of coaching courses, which are helpful for coaches looking to upskill, providing a greater on-field product for playing members.
The SDSFA is home to 38 clubs meaning there is a home and a team for players of all ages and abilities.
