There are just a few months left until the start of the next football season and Sophie Edwards is not wasting any time.
The 16-year-old has her sights set on playing for an elite team in Newcastle next year, so she is training early so she can get more practice with her dad.
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“It’s just one of my big dreams,” she said.
“I really want to play for my country, that’s also my next big dream.”
Sophie is originally from the Upper Hunter in New South Wales and hones her skills with her local team, the Muswellbrook Eagles, during the summer.
She travels to Newcastle three times a week for training and trials, spending more than three hours driving each time.
Muswellbrook has a talented group of young female footballers on the rise. (ABC Upper Hunter: Bindi Bryce)
“I love it. I can socialize with my dad,” she said.
“I usually have fun when I’m here. I live in the moment.
“I just want to put a smile on my face and my parents’ faces.”
Money is a factor
Sophie’s father Greg Edwards believes high-level coaching at Newcastle is paying off.
“I’m a proud parent,” he said.
“Basically, I said, ‘I’m willing to take you anywhere you want, as long as you put in the effort.'”
It takes a lot of time and money to support Sophie’s development as an elite player.
“His registration fee last year was about $1,500. That was just for his training equipment and his playing equipment,” Edwards said.
“And that’s without me driving.
“I’m lucky to have a well-paid job. If I had a lower-paid job, we probably wouldn’t be taking advantage of these opportunities.”
Douglas Thomson has offered to become a coach for the first time this year. (ABC Upper Hunter: Bindi Bryce)
The return of the women’s team
The Muswellbrook Eagles are one of several clubs feeling the fallout from the Matildas’ incredible exploits at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“I’ve been to a lot of those games, it’s been really cool,” says new coach Douglas Thomson.
“There’s a lot of spotlight on women’s football at the moment, and rightly so.”
The Eagles celebrate their centenary in 2024 and the club is set to field a women’s team for the first time in five years.
Mr Thompson says the response was huge when the club recently put out a call for applications to recruit new players.
“At one point we thought it would be difficult to narrow down the number of candidates,” he said.
“Maybe it’s a bit of inspiration from the Women’s World Cup.
“After a few weeks, I started to think of them as my daughters and was really excited about the progress we had made.”
Mixed teams, mixed experiences
Like many small country towns, Muswellbrook does not have enough girls to form all-girls junior teams, so they have to play in mixed competitions.
Teegan Edwards says she didn’t have a great experience last season.
“There were only two players on my team who were girls, including me,” she said.
“It was a little difficult trying to connect with my team because we were just boys.
“They don’t really want to pass to us.”
Teegan Edwards enjoys sports and plays football, rugby league and athletics. (ABC Upper Hunter: Bindi Bryce)
The 16-year-old says she will “definitely stay with the women’s team.”
“They are very fun people, you can count on them on the field and they will not discriminate against you,” she says.
Increase in numbers
Northern NSW Football Team general manager Ross Hicks says growing the game in places like the Upper Hunter poses challenges.
“In rural areas, it’s the problem of distance,” he says.
“I guess there were some difficult times too.
“Whether it’s drought at the beginning, and then obviously rains and floods as well.”
Muswellbrook has the foundations for a women’s team, as well as some new junior players in the pipeline. (ABC Upper Hunter: Bindi Bryce)
Mr Hicks says female participation is increasing and a further increase in numbers is expected in 2024.
“So we have just under 20,000 players this year, which is a 20% increase from 2022,” he says.
Just over a third of the nearly 300 players taking part in the summer football programs in Scone and Muswellbrook are women, which Mr Hicks said was “a great result”.
Older women lace up their boots
Football enthusiast Michelle Sciberras wants to revitalise the women’s program at Muswellbrook.
The player-coach said she felt “really inspired” to support Mr Thomson and the Eagles after the Matildas’ big win.
“It was really good to see (the Matildas’) progress and their support from Australia and around the world,” she said.
Michelle Sciberras plays, coaches and referees soccer. (ABC Upper Hunter: Bindi Bryce)
Her love for sports began when she served as a coach for the team her children played for.
“I just moved to Muswellbrook,” she said.
“I found these guys here, and I’m not going back.”
Ms Sciberras wants to help grow women’s programs in Muswellbrook and hopes more women with families will try football.
“I really hope to start another band between the ages of 12 and 16, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it happens,” she says.
“On Tuesday nights we have babies, supporters and everyone around.”
“So that mom can try, and dads can participate too.”
“It can be quite difficult”
Mr Thompson said he wants the Eagles to have a sustainable women’s program, especially after the club secured funding to upgrade its locker room facilities.
“We have some really talented girls here,” he said.
“They’re fit, they’re young, they’re energetic and they love the game. And that’s all you need to be successful.”
“It will always be in our interest to play simply in mixed competitions.
“But for a young girl, it can be quite difficult to compete with young boys or aggressive young men.”
Some Matildas players have come from rural backgrounds to reach the highest level of the sport.
Ellie Carpenter from Cowra is a perfect example, as is young Kyra Cooney-Cross, who grew up in regional Victoria.
They both eventually decided to drop out of school so they could focus full time on football.
“There will probably be some government funding involved in this,” Edwards said.
“Look at your Newcastle Jets Academy, for example.
“Children have to pay to participate.”
“Sometimes it’s not the most gifted children who move on to the next stage: it’s all about money.”
Beyond the money, he says being a football dad is a labour of love.
“I know a few parents who are here with kids at the Newcastle Jets Academy, and they have to train early in the morning – so imagine their commitments,” he said.
“I’m not the only one.”
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