More than participation
Pictured: Alamein FC Under 13 VYPLG Head Coach and Senior NPLW Assistant Coach Amy Crawford, with her team. Credit: Lunchtime Legends Photography
This Female Football Week (May 2026), Football Victoria published a feature story exploring the pathways, programs and people helping shape life at Alamein FC.
We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share part of our story. But more importantly, the article highlighted a conversation that feels increasingly important across women’s football in Australia.
Girls’ football is growing rapidly. More girls than ever are joining teams, pulling on boots and discovering a love for the game. We know that it is female participation that has driven numbers up so high that football (soccer) is now the most -played sport in Australia. That growth matters, and it deserves to be celebrated.
But participation is only the beginning.
The next challenge for football is making sure girls stay connected to the game long term. That they continue to feel supported, challenged and inspired as they grow. That they can see what’s possible for themselves in football, not only as players, but also as coaches, mentors and leaders.
That’s something we think about constantly at Alamein.
As Victoria’s only all-female club with a complete junior-to-senior NPLW pathway, we feel a real responsibility to help strengthen the women’s game, not just within our own club, but more broadly across the football community.
For us, pathways are about more than elite outcomes. Of course, we want ambitious players to have the opportunity to pursue football at the highest level possible. But pathways are also about belonging, about connection, and about helping girls continue to love the game at every stage of their journey.
That’s why programs like our new buddy initiative matter so much to us.
Seeing our younger players build relationships with Senior NPLW and Under 20s players helps make the future feel visible and achievable to them. It’s priceless. It creates a culture where girls can learn not only technical skills, but also confidence, resilience and leadership from women who understand their experience of the game.
It’s also why we’re so excited to launch the Alamein Coach Education Fund during Female Football Week.
As girls’ football grows, the game needs more female coaches and stronger support for the women already giving so much to football communities every week. Coaching qualifications, mentoring opportunities and practical experience pathways are not always easy to access, and we want to help change that in whatever ways we can.
We know how powerful it is for girls and young women to learn from coaches who understand their experience as female players. We see that impact every day.
Female Football Week is ultimately a celebration, but it’s also a reminder that the growth of the women’s game depends on what we build next.
Not just bigger participation numbers, but stronger environments. Better pathways. More visible opportunities. More women staying in the game.
That’s the future we’re working towards at Alamein, and we’re proud to be part of the broader movement helping shape what women’s football can become.
Links:
Read Football Victoria’s article, From MiniRoos to Matildas
Support Alamein’s coach education fundraiser, The Women Who Change the Game (every gift makes a big difference!)
Watch Alamein’s short film, Will She Still Play
