This weekend is Women’s Round for the AFL and as such many fun activities and events are planned to highlight the significant role women and girls play to help make our game great.While Western Bulldogs staff member Debbie Lee, Manager, Community Programs, will be keen to see the Bulldogs defeat Melbourne this Saturday night, she will also be looking towards this Sunday with much anticipation as her team, the St Albans Spurs play in the Preliminary Final in what will be her 199th match in the Victorian Women’s Football League.
Debbie agreed its not the ideal time to reach a milestone however, she is philosophical about reaching the 200 game mark.“Obviously we are going to win this weekend and I will play my 200th game in the Grand Final,” she laughs.
“In reality whatever the result I feel that I have a few more years to go so the timing of that achievement doesn’t matter to me,” she said.
As President of the Victorian Women’s Football League Debbie is passionate about the future of the game.
The League has developed significantly since 1981 when the ball was first bounced with only four competitive teams. In 2007, 27 teams, 20 clubs and over 900 women are playing football across Victoria in the senior women’s competition.
“The league is the final step in providing a senior competition catering for young women. There are now over 16,000 girls playing football in organised school and community competitions across the state,” Debbie said.Debbie has accumulated a range of achievements since her stellar football career began in 1993 including:
199 VWFL games, Spurs captain 1993 to 2004, premiership captain 2004, Lisa Hardeman medallist (Best on ground in Grand Final – Div 1) 2004, 5 time Helen Lambert medallist (Best & Fairest – Div 1 / Premier Div), 15 times Victorian state representative, state captain 5 times, 5 time all-Australian, assistant coach of the Australian international rules team competing in Ireland and she was also named captain of the VWFL silver jubilee 25th anniversary team in 2005.Stats you should know!
? 48,054 - total female participants in 2006
? 24,145 - girls participating in Auskick 2006
? 2,255 - accredited female coaches
? 191,000 - AFL or club female members
? 41.5% - percentage of television audience viewed by females
? 35,000 - female volunteers