When Krista Woodroffe started playing football, she quickly developed a love for the game that went beyond merely kicking a ball.
Having spent a number of years playing and coaching netball, she first turned her attention to football in 2015.
“I’ve been playing for the last couple of years,” she said. “I started at Bacchus Marsh and then played with North Geelong in the VFL.
“I have a passion for the game and want to develop it for future females.
“I want to create a pathway for other females that I didn’t have.”
Woodroffe took on a casual role as a schools female participation officer with North Melbourne and its VFL aligned club, Werribee, to kick-start her administration career in the industry. This year, she’s moved into a full-time football role as the AFL Goldfields region’s first female football manager.
The role comprises three different areas, all which involve developing and nurturing female football.
Woodroffe will manage AFL Goldfields women, youth girls and junior girls football competitions and female game development including schools and Auskick. She will also be involved with local TAC Cup sides, helping co-ordinate their youth girls and under-15 academies.
Woodroffe is enthused about building something that will be around in the long term.
“It’s about getting a base for kids,” she said. “It’s about going into schools in the region and getting them interested. It’s important to have programs for kids that want to start playing football. Once they have the passion, they’ll become part of clubs.
“It’s really good for clubs to want to be involved. A lot of clubs have had it in the back of their minds for a while, but the ability to expand wasn’t there.
“We want clubs in viable positions that they can build towards having girls becoming part of the AFL.”
AFL Goldfields is expecting to have between 45 and 50 female sides competing across three age groups this season, up from 20 sides last year. In the longer term Woodroffe would love to have the Goldfields female program match that of the men.
“We want to have as many teams as possible,” she said.
She said the new AFL women’s competition would help encourage girls to get involved in the game. Woodroffe hasn’t been surprised by the success of the AFL women’s competition.
“It’s something that has needed to happen for the last couple of years,” she said.
“The interest has been there and the media coverage has really pushed it.”
Woodroffe’s football commitments won’t be restricted to her full-time job. She’s been named in the Geelong VFL women’s squad and is an assistant coach for the Western Jets’ inaugural under-18 girls side.
