VU-ST Albans Spurs had seven of its young stars included in the first intake of the AFL Victoria VWFL Academy last week.
Amy Catterall, Kara Donellan, Ashleigh Guest, Belinda Hately, Bree White, Melissa Hickey and Kaz Paxman have been named in the 25-player academy, which aims to give female footballers access to a high-performance training, skills development and game education.
The academy is not confined to players. A select few coaches will also be in the program.
AFL Victoria general manager Grant Williams says all invitees will learn and develop under coach and mentor Peta Searle, a pioneer who crossed from the Victorian Women’s Football League ranks into the Victorian Football League, where she is assistant coach of Port Melbourne.
“The introduction of the AFL Victoria VWFL Academy will expose the players involved to the current AFL Victoria Academy practices, philosophy and resources,” Williams said.
“We congratulate the players who have been selected in the initial intake and hope it is a great chance for them to receive development and support from an experienced coach like Peta Searle.”
The academy members have earned the right to pull on the Big V in the Vic Metro-Vic Country state game at Coburg City Oval on June 23.
