WITH MORE female football programs sprouting up across the state AFL Victoria Multicultural Development Officer Akec Makur Chuot believes the sport's future is looking diverse.
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The Richmond utility was visiting the south-west for the Warrnambool Secondary Schools Girls Footy Round-Robin Day on Friday, which attracted over 200 girls from Emmanuel, Warrnambool and Brauer colleges.
Chuot said the future landscape of female football was bound to change with the investment being put into the ever-growing sport.
"The current tier that is playing is going to change with all the programs the AFL are now establishing to make sure more younger girls get opportunities," the 26-year-old said.
"My role at AFL Victoria is to make sure the multicultural girls have the opportunity to go into those pathway programs, which are then reflected in the AFLW competition.
"In the next five to six years we're going to definitely see more girls involved from different backgrounds."
Chuot, who spent time in a refugee camp before making her way to Australia to live in Perth, hoped she could inspire south-west girls to chase careers in football.
"For me I'm a country girl at heart as well as coming from South Sudan and living in a Kenyan refugee camp, I love the country vibe and how it's a community vibe," she said.
"I had one girl walk up to ask about one of the programs so it's starting the conversation and they are now starting to recognise the familiar faces in the sport and seeing themselves in those players."
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