Strata The ACG Strathallan Magazine TERM 2, 2019
Girls Football More and more girls are making football their sport of choice and it’s easy to see why. Someone who knows a lot about the sport is year 4 teacher and junior girls’ football coach, Cherie Boucher-Cunningham. Cherie has had an exciting career in football herself, playing at a variety of levels, including the Otago University Premier Team and the National Women’s League, so she is wellplaced to share her knowledge and passion for the sport. “Football uses a variety of fundamental skills which are useful for a number of sporting codes. Balance and timing are required for tackling an opponent and there is a high level of skill involved with attacking – dribbling, feinting and changing pace and direction. Mastering different tricks is also fun and helps with perseverance and resilience. Communication skills are critical, as girls need to be constantly talking to team mates and listening to the goalkeeper’s instructions, all of which creates a team bond.” As a goalkeeper you develop a unique set of skills. “You need to learn how to remain calm and perform under immense pressure, skills that can be applied to any area of life where pressure is a factor, including exams.” This is the sort of pressure that 1st XI Captain and goalkeeper, Brierley Anderson, thrives on. Brierley began playing football from the
Year 7 & 8 Girls’ Team age of four and was “hooked from day one”. It wasn’t long before she was in goal: “No one in my team ever wanted to play in that position but I loved it. It was so much fun being able to be the hero and save the ball and get dirty, and I still play in that position nine years later.” The benefits of the sport are tremendous according to Cherie: “Football is a team sport so it offers a level of friendship and a group to belong to outside of other social circles. You need to be reasonably fit to play – even in goal.” Brierley agrees: “Our 1st XI Girls’ team trains twice a week - one is dedicated to increasing our fitness and one for developing our ball skills and tactics. Plus, we have our games on Wednesday afternoons.” Brierley acknowledges the role of the coach in motivating the team and keeping them match-fit. “Our coach, Scot Harris, has been coaching us for four years. He has helped us grow as a team so much and puts a huge amount of hard work and dedication into our game.” Brierley is passionate about the sport and during her years at Strathallan she figures she has played about sixty games for the Strathallan girls’ team. With our 1st XI girls attending their fifth winter tournament this year and the junior girls team heading to AIMS Games, we can look forward to seeing more girls share Brierley’s passion and commitment to the game in the years ahead.
SPORT, ACTIVITIES, THE ARTS
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