Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Hansard source

I was very pleased to participate in the Earn Learn Legend! program and very pleased that a wonderful student, Kaitlin Purcell, came along. As part of the process, in my office, she actually wrote a speech on something that she cares very much about. I thought I would. share some of her thoughts with us today.

She is one of a number of women in the under-18 women's football team for the South Australian Port Noarlunga Football Club. They entered this year and were involved in a very successful season. There was a lot of team building and, as a new team, they quickly adapted to the game of footy. They did not win any games, but their efforts and sportswomenship were outstanding. They are training very hard and are ready for next season. They have been faced with some difficulties, and that does affect the team. They were unable to play any home games due to the footy club's lights not being powerful enough for the night hours. However, next season they are hoping to have lights that are powerful enough for their home games.

There are some challenges. Sometimes they are driving two to three hours to get to the game, and members often rely on other players, coaches or trainers to give them a lift. There can be some responsibility on the drivers, and one way that Kaitlin believes that this can be overcome is through taking a minibus for players to easily make it to their games and home safely. Another challenge is that they do not have their own change rooms, which does not allow them to shower or use their own toilets after training. And, if any of the girls need strapping or to have injuries looked at, then they have to enter the male change rooms to see a trainer, due to the trainer's room being inside these change rooms. The other issue is that the girls have been training without training tops, so if anyone wants to sponsor the Port Noarlunga Football Club girls, feel free to come along. They would like to get guernseys so that they can represent their club.

AFL is not traditionally seen as a women's sport. However, the girls at the Port Noarlunga Football Club have very much enjoyed their experience, and Kaitlin has indicated that they are very much looking forward to next season. I wish the women at the Port Noarlunga Football Club under-18 team the very best of luck for the upcoming season and into the future. I would like to thank Kaitlin for the time she spent in my office. She did a great job. (Time expired)

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