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SENIOR TASMANIAN WOMEN’S STATE TEAM TO PLAY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The senior Women’s Tasmanian State Team will be resurrected this year, after Football Federation Tasmania announced that a team would be selected to play in an Invitational Tournament in Adelaide in November.

The tournament will feature a number of state teams from around Australia and will provide an opportunity for some of Australia’s best female players to play against their interstate counterparts.

This is the first opportunity Tasmania has had to play at this level in many years, and coaches, players and officials are looking forward to the opportunity to play at an interstate tournament.

With no National League or National Championships for women currently included on the football calendar, this tournament is the only opportunity for states to compete against each other and provide a higher level of competition outside their respective Premier Leagues.

“We have been looking to re-introduce senior state teams for Tasmania,” said FFT CEO Martin Shaw, “and now with this tournament being approved we have been able to do that for both the women and men this year, which is very pleasing.”

“Having just completed the North-South Challenge Series, we will be able to use that as the basis for the selection of our squad to travel to Adelaide.  The Series was closely fought, so the selectors will have a difficult time settling on a final squad.”

The tournament will run from November 25^th until December 1^st, and while not all states will attend, it is expected that the playing standard will be high, and will be a good opportunity for the Tasmanian players to test themselves at this level for the first time in many years.

“With the introduction of a Tasmanian Institute of Sport football program for women, it is hoped that in future years Tasmania will be able to attend tournaments such as this and challenge for a place in the final, as well as having players identified to play at a national level,” said Shaw.

“Attendance at this tournament is a very important first step in that process of being competitive at that level.”

With both the Men’s and Women’s State Teams to play over the next few months, it is expected that FFT will announce both squads shortly.

Martin Shaw

Chief Executive Officer

Football Federation Tasmania Ltd.