The future of women’s footy will be on show at Domain Stadium on Saturday with the Freo Dockers Cup Moore Division Grand Final.
Willeton Senior High School and John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School will compete to be premiers of the highest division of a competition that is contested by 52 teams.
The Freo Dockers cup provides an important pathway for girls into playing football at an elite level in the WAWFL and AFLW.
Fremantle’s senior AFLW coach Michelle Cowan said it was an important clash for recruiters to keep an eye on.
“It’s a great opportunity for the girls to be running out on Domain Stadium but also a great opportunity for Fremantle as we continue to keep an eye on women’s football development across the entire state,” Cowan said.
“We’ve been watching the under 18s closely, we’ll be watching the under 15 state school girls starting soon and also this grand final on Saturday. It’s an important one for us to keep an eye on.”
The 2017 season marks the 22nd year of the competition, which was first started to give girls the opportunity to represent their school and play football through their teenage years.
The cup’s top division is named after Alison Moore, the former female talent manager at the WAFC, who helped start the competition.
A former teacher, Moore will be on hand on Saturday to present the trophy to the winning school.
“It was a huge honour to have the division named after me,” Moore said.
“It’s great seeing the phenomenal numbers of girls playing football at their schools. It’s lovely to have that honour, particularly being a school teacher, to have the schools cup named after you – that meant everything.
“It’s an incredibly important competition because it’s the stepping stone, it was the first time within a school competition that gives girl an opportunity to represent and play football and to showcase their talent at Domain Stadium, where the girls AFL heroes, both male and female, are now playing.
The game starts at 3:10 pm and wraps up at 4:30pm, with the bouncedown for Fremantle’s clash with Hawthorn at 5:40pm.