
Football Victoria (FV) have announced a significant partnership with School Sport Victoria (SSV) that will see opportunities to participate in football and futsal enhanced for school students across the state.
Pending COVID Safe guidelines, three tailor-made programs are set to kick-off in Term 4 which are designed for students of different ages and abilities to get involved in the world game.
FV CEO Kimon Taliadoros was excited to be teaming up with SSV to launch the initiatives, which will provide students a range of new and exciting pathways into football.
“Our partnership with School Sport Victoria continues to grow, with our united goal of providing more sporting opportunities for students, not only as players but as officials through our new Referees Academy program,” he said.
“With an objective of achieving 50/50 participation by 2027, the partnership with SSV enables us to provide equal access for boys and girls to kick-start a lifelong love of football for many who have not yet played our beautiful game.
“We look forward to guiding more young Victorians on their football journey.”
With the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand on the horizon, there has never been a better time for young women and girls to try football.
FV and SSV will partner to host Gala Days for primary school students in Grades 4, 5 and 6. These events will be exclusively girls-only so participants can shine in a fun and safe environment.
In addition, FV in conjunction with SSV are seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from SSV Primary and Secondary Schools who wish to participate in ‘Futsal’ 5-A-Side Indoor Football competitions in 2021 and 2022.
The program will be kicking off in December with a Futsal Gala Day at La Trobe Sports Stadium located in Bundoora.
A Futsal Champions Cup is also being proposed for Runners-Up and Champions who qualify from any SSV Divisional and Regional Futsal events that can be held in 2021.
Finally, FV and SSV have offered their Refereeing Academy program to students who are aged between 15 and 18.
The program will take students through the Level 4 Refereeing Course, which includes an online component that teaches the laws of the game and a practical component, where students will be trained by a qualified instructor out on the pitch.