Strathalbyn Strikers Soccer Club is encouraging local residents to kick off a new hobby and join a team, as the season launches on April 29.
Coaching Director, Matt Reid, hopes the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will encourage women to join the sport, and welcomes all ages and genders.
“We are all inclusive – everybody who wants to play, plays,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter what age, ability, gender – we offer an opportunity for everybody.
“We’ve recently been looking at how we can create a more inclusive environment for children who have special needs.”
Last season, the club celebrated its milestone 40th anniversary and had 120 junior players and 35 senior men.
“At the moment, we’re looking at fairly strong numbers and an improvement on last year,” Reid said.
“We have had up to 200 playing members in the past, so we would like to get back to that level of community engagement and player involvement.
“They seem to hit teenagerhood and that’s when the numbers start to dwindle and drop – work, partners, school work, gets in the way.
“We’ve got the capacity to host space, to have games.
“We’ve got a very busy Saturday morning – there’s always games on.”
While the club is inclusive to all skillsets, it also opens pathways for high-achieving players through the Adelaide Hills Junior Football Association representative squad, where players may be selected for teams to represent in the state and country championships.
“We’d like to think every kid will get a part, but there’s also opportunities for the kids who are excelling to be recognised and get the opportunity to excel,” Reid said.
“We’ve got about 20 children involved in that elite pathway, which gives them an opportunity, and a number of them have subsequently been selected to participate in the state identification squads.
“We’ve got a 15-year-old playing senior womens in Adelaide – she’s the youngest player in the state league and came through us, so we’re pretty proud of that fact.
“We’d like to think that the support and coaching she got has paid some dividends.”
Strathalbyn Strikers Soccer Club is also focusing on advancing the skillset of coaches.
For further information on joining Strathalbyn Strikers, visit: (www.facebook.com/StrathalbynStrikersSoccerClub), phone: (0407 617 943), or email: (president@strathstrikers.com.au).
