The number of women and girls playing football has risen to record numbers, as football participation in Australia climbed to more than 1.95 million in 2019.
In the national football census released today by Football Federation Australia (FFA), the number of females playing the most popular club-based participation sport in the country rose by 11%.
FFA Chief Executive Officer James Johnson welcomed the results of the census which highlighted significant increases across a number of areas, including social football and among coaches and volunteers.
“The release of the 2019 census data is an important milestone for football in Australia and shows that women and girls continue to join our sport in large numbers, with females now representing some 22% of players,” he said.
“There’s been impressive growth in football overall in the past twelve months, including a big increase in social football, as our member federations, associations, zones and clubs work hard to offer a wide range of opportunities for participation.
“I’m particularly pleased that this hard work has resulted in large increases in the numbers of both coaches and volunteers, as they add tremendous value to our game and I’d like to thank everyone involved for their commitment to our sport.
“Football is in a unique position in this country, as the largest club-based participation sport, we are also intrinsically connected to every nation on earth through the huge global football family.
“Football provides significant opportunities for international engagement, offers physical and mental health benefits, promotes social cohesion and multicultural inclusion and is a game that can be played by anyone from the under-5s to the over-75s, no matter what your ability.”
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