AFL North Coast will be delivering a new initiative this preseason to help Youth Girls players prepare for the season ahead.

Force Girls Development Clinics are a brand new initiative within the region, designed to support girls aged 12 to 17 in their growth as footy players from both a skills and game sense perspective.

The sessions will feature players being split into groups based on their age, experience, and skill level, meaning that the workouts will be targeted at new players wanting to learn about the game, those that want to fine tune their skills ahead of the season, as well as previous representative players and those that aspire to play rep footy (North Coast Force).

The first of these sessions will be conducted on Saturday, 11 February with the plan being to run up to two further clinics prior to the start of the season.

Former North Coast Academy of Sport AFLW Head Coach Matt Crawley will lead the coaching team and is keen to get started.

“Girls footy has grown so quickly in our region and we know that it will only continue to expand,” he said.

“We want to make sure that girls have the chance to continue to build their skills and game sense so that they have their best season yet.

“These sessions aren’t just designed for rep players, they’re every bit as much for players who only started out last year, or are about to play for the first time.

“The focus of the whole coaching team will be on developing the individual so that each and every girl will walk away feeling that they’ve learnt things that they can put into place with their club in the 2023 season.”

Community Football & Competition Manager Paul Taylor said the clinics would be a great way for young girls to prepare for the season ahead.

“We’ll be rolling out an exciting new initiative next year with the Force Girls Development Clinics being delivered in the pre-season,” he said.

“These clinics are designed to help girls aged 12 to 17 prepare for the club footy season ahead.

“The focus will be on individual development so the clinics will be perfect for new and near-new players through to rep players and those aspiring to play representative footy.”

All the Force Girls Development Clinics will be free to participants, with players able to attend as many or as few as they’re able to.

Further details will be provided in the new year via the AFL North Coast website and social media channels.

The North Coast Force is a representative program run by AFL North Coast for both male and female athletes, offering teams at Under 13, Under 15, Under 17, and Youth Girls levels.

The Force teams play in several carnivals each year, including the Northern NSW Challenge in Coffs, where they come up against players and teams from the Central Coast, Hunter Metro, Hunter Country, North West, and South Coast.

By Aiden BURGESS