Mum’s the Word for Baldivis BrumbiesWednesday, March 15, 2023 - 10:43 AM

One Baldivis mother has turned her love of watching football into a passion for playing the sport.

Rachael, the Female Football Co-Ordinator at the Baldivis Brumbies FC is a mother of three, “with two bonus kids” as she describes it, and has been instrumental in setting up a training group for mums in her community.

“I approached the Brumbies committee with the idea of Footy Mums, where mums can join a group and learn some footy skills, train and build some fitness, but not have to face the "big scary thought" of actually playing.

A space where we could gain confidence and skill to join our women's side or be the next coach of one of our kids' footy teams.

But mostly, to just feel like we belong.

I thought the Brumbies would think it's a stupid idea and dismiss me, but the committee loved it.

They jumped on board with the idea and thought I would be the best person to champion this cause.
 

This is the first time the club has run a program like this and I have never heard of it anywhere else.

It would be a dream to see this thing take off and be an integral part of all clubs, as far reaching as possible,” she said.

So far, over 80 mothers have signalled interest in joining the program, which has been running once weekly for free since February 6th , with each week averaging about 30 women attendees.

“There’s quite a varied range in age, fitness and skill level but it’s a non-intimidating and friendly environment that we all feel like friends and fully understand each other's woes.

One of our senior men’s players and female assistant coach, Dan Molloy, jumped at the opportunity to coach this group.

Bear in mind that some of these mums have never even picked a footy up, so we worked through what activities and fun things we could include include and how intense the fitness level needs to be.

Recently, I kicked a straight 40m torpedo for the first time in my life!

Our kids are all welcome to join in or play together on their own, and they all have a blast running around,” Rachael said.

She may be a footy novice on the field, but Rachael has always been a fanatical supporter of the sport.

“I love it so much, and to me it is the most exciting sport in the world, but I've never played.

I grew up in a generation when women and girls were not readily accepted on the footy field.

I did spend a lot of time around footy clubs as a child, as my father was heavily involved, but still never felt as though it was my place. 

For my birthday a few years ago, my partner bought me a female footy, and said "Now you can stop telling the TV how they should be playing and start doing it yourself”.

I bought my first pair of footy boots when my eldest son started Auskick with the Brumbies.

We were in buying his first pair of boots and the only reason I bought mine was because they were on sale.

It took me weeks to build up the courage to even put them on, and when I did I cried.

I was so worried that people would laugh at me and think I'm a fool,” she said.

 A few months later, Rachael found herself coaching her son’s Auskick team as the club needed volunteers.

“I taught myself some skills using YouTube, practiced on my own at the local footy ground and gradually became more confident in my own skills.

I have now coached for the last 4 years and have garnered a lot of respect from the parents and children of my community.”

The benefits of the training sessions are obvious.

“It's a myriad of mum chat, laughing at ourselves and footy talk, and when we’re finished the mums feel pumped and happy.

I have received dozens of messages of support and thanks, some of which you can see on our Facebook page and others that have been sent to my phone and have been truly heart-warming,” she said.

The program is run at the club’s facility on Eighty Road in Baldivis on Tuesdays from 6-7pm for the next month, during which time the mothers will get a chance to integrate with the Brumbies women's side.   

For those interested in joining the Footy Mums they can email Rachael at femalefootball@baldivis brumbies.com.au or head to the Facebook page below for updates.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/537263991239456/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF