Although the AFL Junior Policy allows for girls to participate with boys up to the age of 14 years, in capital cities and larger rural towns it is encouraged to provide single gender opportunities or at least female zones (so girls play on girls).

Until the player pathway is complete in your area, girls may come to your team with a diverse range of football experience. Some girls may have come through Auskick and have good basic football skills whilst others may be new entry players. The latter is especially true for girls from a multicultural background and who may not have a command of English let alone football langua

Implications For Coaches:

• Be well prepared for the large range of skill levels and football backgrounds in your team
• Make sure you know what your players want from their AFL experience
• If coaching a mixed gender team provide training drills where the girls can test themselves against each other not just against the boys
• Make training sessions fun and if you have a mixed gender team or mixed cultural team, buddy players up to help the emerging ‘stars’