Greensborough College has committed to the development of its female footballers with                                                                                          the announcement of a new College Academy in 2017 in partnership with the DiamondDiamond  Diamond                                        Diamond Creek Women's Football Club.

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                                                                                         The Academy will look to develop the potential of Greensborough’s female footballers, who finished                                                                            finished runners-up to Hallam Senior College in the School Sports Victoria State Championships in August. As                                                                       August. As the largest female football club in Australia, Diamond Creek announced early this week that the                                                                                    partnership would see them supplying equipment and Plenty Park as a training and playing ground as                                                                                      well as providing senior players as Assistant Coaches and mentor the Greensborough students.

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Greensborough Sport Co-ordinator and former Diamond Creek player Laura Frazer says the Academy will only drive the players’ development but will emphasise academic skills such as organisation, leadership and discipline.

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“We’ve had such great success with girls’ football here at the College over the past four or five years,” says Frazer, who has been announced as the Academy’s inaugural Head Coach. “The talent that has come through is just inspirational and gave us the idea to start up a girls’ professional football program.”

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The 2017 Academy sessions will alternately be held before and after school as well as during lunch time, focusing on training and fitness as well as strength and conditioning. The players will be required to keep an 80 per cent attendance record at training and a 90 per cent attendance record for their school classes.

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“It’s working very concurrently with the school from an academic point of view as well as from a professional sporting point of view,” says Frazer.

Frazer is not the only link between Greensborough College and Diamond Creek. 2016 Greensborough College graduates and senior Creekers Charley and Olivia McFawn will be Assistant Coaches at the Academy. Diamond Creek Vice-President Chris O’Connor says the McFawns, who were selected in the Victoria Metro squad in the 2016 Youth Girls National carnival and made their VFL debuts for Diamond Creek in July, are “particularly excited” to be involved in what the club hopes will be a long-term partnership.

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“The partnership fits logically within the club’s Community Liaison Program where we’ve been developing grassroots football in northern Melbourne.”

O’Connor says that match-day experience will be one of the biggest opportunities that Diamond Creek will present to the Greensborough players.

“We will invite the entire Academy to our senior games so they can watch how VFL footballers set up before the game, during the game, during their recovery, how the coaching staff prepares the team and the messages that are delivered before and after the game.”

 

Greensborough College Principal Chrissy Collins says the support of the Academy is based not only on the growth of female football but on its alliance with the school’s values.

 

“It is such a wonderful opportunity for our young women. They have a chance to work with a dynamic club, they have the chance to focus on their academics but they also have the opportunity to get engaged and pursue their dreams.”

 

“We clearly have talent in our young ladies and we want to provide that opportunity for our girls to grow.”

 

“To give these girls this opportunity that we could only dream of when we were their age will hopefully be able to propel them forwards in their football careers as well as gain support from a professional sporting club such as Diamond Creek.”