Mitchelton FC Coach, Zoe Bickerstaffe puts forward a compelling case for playing football down under in Queensland – the Sunshine State for Women’s Football Glory.
When most people think Australia, it revolves around kangaroos, putting shrimp on the barbie and the Sydney Opera House. What they sometimes don’t think is football. Australia has for many years been in the top 10 FIFA rankings and boasts a professional league that spans the country. To say the sport is flourishing is an understatement.
Queensland has ruled the roost in recent years and has won the top professional W League twice and finished runners-up twice. Not bad for a state which is often forgotten compared to its glamour rivals of New South Wales (Sydney) and Victoria (Melbourne).
Football in Brisbane has been growing at a rate of knots thanks to excellent facilities, and let’s face it, great weather. Brisbane and the Gold Coast have some of the best weather in the country and we haven’t even started mentioning the beaches! We don’t really have issues with mud and cold weather, it’s usually more ‘where’s the sunscreen and can we have a drinks break?’
The structure of women’s football in Brisbane is simple – W League, South East Queensland Premier League, Brisbane Premier League, Division 1, 2 and so on. The leagues are filled with overseas players, most of whom have travelled around Australia and decided to settle there for a year to play, meet new friends and do some travel in the meantime. Brisbane is a great place to base yourself as work and relatively cheap accommodation are easy to come by compared to the other bigger cities.
We asked an English player recently about their experience, “I moved to Brisbane because I love the beaches and location, I can travel to the Great Barrier Reef and back over a weekend if I want! It’s mad! Everyone I have met has been super friendly compared to other places and the football has been great. Clubs here are committed to women’s football and are often supported in terms of facilities as well as the men. Also did I mention it’s a great party town?”
My own club, Mitchelton FC, currently has American, English, Norwegian, Brazilian, French, Welsh, Irish…and an El Salvadorean! With over 100 registered players and seven women’s teams, that’s not a bad collection of travellers.
So what are you waiting for? Try something new, get your working holiday visa for a year and come and play a bit of footie – and if you’re lucky, we might even put a shrimp on the barbie for your arrival!
Email us at mitchiewomensfootball@gmail.com if you want any advice about Brisbane or playing in Queensland!
Working Holiday Visa Information: www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/417.aspx
SHE KICKS – the online community for women’s football
