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While men’s football might be in the spotlight this year when the FIFA World Cup 2026 starts in June, Mangawhai Football Club is hoping to coach some future female football stars of their own.
Milo Fantails is a football programme specifically created for girls aged 7 to 12 who are keen to try football in a safe, fun, and confidence-boosting environment.
“This programme is enabling girls to come and play football without boys. Some girls do really well in a mixed team, but there has been a lot of research done that says girls get more touches on the ball and feel a lot more comfortable and safer in an all-girls environment,” Mangawhai co-president Jon Harris said.
The club ran the programme for the first time last year and is happy it can offer girls a pathway into a sport they might not have tried before.
“We have around twenty to thirty girls coming to play each week. It’s really great at engaging girls in the sport. Lots of girls in the area play netball, but with our sessions running on a Wednesday afternoon, it doesn’t clash with netball practice or games and gives girls an opportunity to try football.”
The girls are coached by Jon and two other young female coaches; one of them is Sienna Purcelle, who has been part of Mangawhai Football Club for three years. She played in the U-15 mixed team but says that not all girls are comfortable playing with or against boys.
“There has never been a girls’ team at the club, so it has always been mixed. Some girls don’t mind playing against boys, but I don’t think the younger girls would be as interested if they were having to play or face a boys’ team at this age.”
Sienna says that while some of the girls are nervous when they start the programme, their confidence soon grows.
“The girls in the programme are doing really well. Sometimes when they start, they are nervous, but as they make their way through the programme, they definitely get more confident, which is great to see.”
With the Milo Fantails programme running again next term, the club is really passionate about bringing more women and girls into the game.
“It’s an area of our club that perhaps we haven’t prioritised in the past, but there is definitely a demand from girls to play football. I would love to see a women’s team or even a women’s social football team kick off in Mangawhai. I think that would be great,” Jon said.
For more information about the Milo Fantails programme, visit www.sporty.co.nz/mangawhaifootballclub
