Macquarie University ‘Pathways Immersion’ Experience with the Lane Cove Cats

The Lane Cove Cats (LCC) Under 16 Youth Girls attended Macquarie University AFC’s (MUAFC) Senior training session last night for a “Pathways Immersion” experience.

It was cold, it was clear and it was a great night for football in general.

Katherine “Smitty” Smith gave the LCC Youth Girls a quick run down of the MUAFC Women’s Program and a brief on the session ahead.

The LCC players were introduced to some of MUAFC’s playing group and then joined in with both the Senior Men’s and Women’s squads for the warmup. The group then moved straight into Smitty’s Fundamentals circuit, followed by a key game style drill which gave the LCC players an immersive experience and complete involvement in the session. The group finished off with a little goal kicking competition, which the LCC girls ended up winning.

This type of session offered the LCC Youth Girls a great firsthand experience into Senior Football, giving them the opportunity to understand where their own football could take them, including aspirations for AFLW, local football or just a kick about with mates on the weekend.

As the number of junior participants moving straight into Senior AFL is particularly low across AFL Sydney and NSW in general, MUAFC are seeking to ensure that Junior players are aware of the various Senior Clubs available to them when they move out of the Junior Footy System, interstate or not.

The “Pathways Immersion” experience aims to make AFL the sport of choice for young adults as they leave Junior Football. MUAFC welcomes any Junior club interested in participating in the experience to contact them to find out how. However, MUAFC would also like to remind Junior clubs to be mindful of their own senior pathway and encourages them to explore a relationship with these clubs as a priority.

MUAFC would like to thank their very own AFLW Players Katherine Smith and Jodie Hicks in their tireless pursuit in developing not only Senior Women’s football at MUAFC but in growing Junior adoption of the sport as they progress into adulthood.

MUAFC pathway clubs and Schools:

• Lane Cove Cats*
• North Ryde Dockers*
• Macquarie Junior Australian Football Club
• St Ives Australian Football Club*
• Loreto Normanhurst*
• Pymble Ladies College
• Ravenswood School for Girls*
• Redlands School*
• Brigidine College*

(Note: the * denotes a shared pathway relationship with another Senior Club)

Complete list of AFL Sydney Women’s Premier Division Pathway Clubs