By Lawrence Machado
Female football is reaching new heights in The Hills with the inaugural Womens Premier League (WPL) outstripping expectations.
The launch of the first WPL by Hills Football on April 9 coincides with Sydney being selected to stage the final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup at Stadium Australia, Homebush. Hills Football General Manager Matthew Rippon is delighted at the bigger than expected numbers which sees nine teams contesting the WPL in its debut season.
“There is a great growth in female football in the Hills, which is fantastic to see,” Rippon said. “This will provide even more playing opportunities through every age.”
“Football is growing rapidly in the Hills. We have over 12,600 players in over 830 competitive teams playing on the first weekend in what is now our largest season on record.
“For the first time, our Womens Premier League was live-streamed on our HFI Premier Leagues Facebook page to a terrific audience. We have maintained our growth in female football with nearly 2,500 registered female footballers this season.”
Rippon, who worked previously at Football Federation Australia and Football NSW, said there is a lot of potential for the female players in the Hills.
“There are a lot of players playing at the highest level within the association and lots of players who have been coming through our juniors,” he said.
Hills Football has pathways to the highest levels of the sport but importantly, there are also ideal grassroots participation for both boys and girls through the MiniRoos and Minitildas.
Rippon is also looking forward to launching the Walking Football league for men and women of all ages in June.
