Photo: Supplied.
BY CLEONE LADLOW, SECRETARY, BAYSIDE UNITED FC
At Bayside United, we believe in the power of community sport for everyone. This Female Football Week, we are thrilled to spotlight female football at the club.
For women and girls, sport is a way to develop self-esteem, confidence and resilience. Girls who play sport achieve better grades at school, have a more positive body image and lower levels of depression. For women, the benefits of sport multiply as we age and seek to maintain our health and wellbeing throughout all stages of life. The benefits of belonging to a strong community also cannot be understated.
That’s why, at Bayside United, we have been focusing on how we approach football for women and girls. Through consultation with our community, we have made significant changes. These include implementing a Female Football sub-committee, specialist girls-only training, ‘girls’ night’ training nights, and flexible social rounds for mums with free learn-to-play sessions for mums who aren’t sure which way to run!
These changes have resulted in an 182% increase in female football participation from 2023 to 2025.
We can proudly say that we now have teams in every age group, from our littlest Squirts (three to five years) through Miniroos (six to 12 years), junior teams (13 and up) to Metro Women and Walking Footballers. We also have over 60 women who play in our mum’s social rounds on Friday nights. Pictured are some mothers, daughters, and walking footballers who all play at Bayside United.
If you would like to enquire about our female football options, please reach out to [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!
