Woden Valley Soccer Club has been featured in The Canberra Times, with the newspaper highlighting the club’s advocacy for inclusion in the National Premier League (NPL) Girls competition and the growing demand for female football pathways in south Canberra.
The article explores the experiences of the hundreds of girls and young women who play football at Woden Valley and the club’s efforts to create a clear pathway for players wishing to continue their development at the highest level while remaining connected to their community club.
With more than 500 female players participating across our girls’ and women’s programs each season, Woden Valley has become one of the ACT’s largest female football communities. The club continues to experience strong growth in participation, with an increasing number of girls joining football and progressing through MiniRoos, junior, youth, and senior programs.
As highlighted in the article, many players currently leave Woden Valley at the end of their junior years to access NPL Girls opportunities elsewhere. While we celebrate the success of those players, we also believe girls should have the option to pursue high-performance football within the club and community where they began their football journey.
The club’s petition, currently before the ACT Legislative Assembly, seeks support for the inclusion of Woden Valley Soccer Club in the NPL Girls competition for the 2027 season. The petition aims to demonstrate the strong community support for creating additional pathways for girls and young women in football.
We are grateful to The Canberra Times for helping raise awareness of this important conversation and to everyone who has already signed and shared the petition.
Read the Original Article
The original article, written by sports reporter Melanie Dinjaski and published in The Canberra Times on 3 June 2026, can be read here:
Support the Petition
✔ ACT residents can sign
✔ Under 18s can sign
📅 Petition closes 15 July 2026
Add your name here:
https://epetitions.parliament.act.gov.au/details/e-pet-047-26
Thank you for supporting opportunities for girls’ football in Canberra.