A new age group is on the horizon for the Western Victoria Female Football League.
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AFL Western District football development manager Alicia Drew said the south-west league was running a free, four-week come-and-try program for players aged 10-14.
The program is aimed at girls who would fall into the under 14 age group with the league hoping to launch the age group in 2022.
The Western Victoria Female Football league currently has senior and under 18 competitions.
The region also has strong numbers of girls participating in Auskick programs, including a girls-only centre in Warrnambool.
"We have been looking at it for a couple of months and looking at ways to pick up girls a bit younger," Drew said.
"We are finding there is a bit of hesitancy around girls coming in around that age and playing against bigger girls who are 17-18.
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"It is a way of giving another competition to girls who really want to play football and don't wont to play with the boys, which they can do up until they turn 14.
"There is a bit of interest around and also having a pathway coming out of Auskick into junior footy we might be able to get a few more girls into playing footy, which is a great result."
The program will run at Deakin University oval on Mondays from 5pm to 6pm starting on October 11. Participants will also get a free football.
Drew encouraged girls of all skill levels to give the program a go.
"We genuinely think the interest is there and we want to raise awareness about girls playing footy," she said.
"If they want to try something new, they should come along. We will take anyone."
Drew said she was taking feedback from parents on registration forms about what level of involvement the girls have previously had in football, which would shape how the program was run.
She said it would be skills-focused and the last week of the program could involve a game.
Interested players can register for the program at https://forms.office.com/r/dJvveU1Efx
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