Capital Football marked the end of another successful Female Football Week with the Networking and Awards Brunch at the Rex Hotel last Friday morning.
The morning consisted of a panel of experts in the female football community sharing their experiences as well-respected figures and representatives of the game locally.
Panel members were ParaMatildas player Carly Salmon, A-Leagues referee Georgia Ghirardello, NPL Referee/Referee Leader Alex Eagleton, and NPLW player and Physiotherapist Michaela Thornton.
The morning wrapped up with the Female Football Week Awards, where we recognised the incredible contributions of women and girls in football, and highlighted the extremely important role that they play across all aspects of the game.
The awards, voted on by members of the Canberra football community, were Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Referee of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and Ally Champion of the Year.
Congratulations to all winners:
Player of the Year – Victoria Jamieson
Coach of the Year – Gabby Cooper
Referee of the Year – Karla Martin
Volunteer of the Year – Michaela Danvers
Ally Champion of the Year – Kathryn Yuile
Speaking on being chosen as the Player of the Year, Canberra Olympic’s Victoria Jamieson said that she was honoured to be chosen for the award.
“I think it’s really important. It’s exciting to recognise the females and all of the women that contribute so much to the competition and the game and the community,” Jamieson said.
“It’s a big surprise and a massive honour as well. There’s a lot of females that contribute so much to the sport so it’s really nice that it’s recognised. It’s a real honour to be chosen this year.”
Jamieson has been the captain of the Canberra Olympic NPLW first grade team for the past few years and shows exemplary leadership qualities as a player and a coach.
She has been essential in the development of the club from what it was several years ago to now an environment that is inclusive, supportive, and enjoyable that her teammates and colleagues want to be a part of.
Having made her return to refereeing with Capital Football in 2022, Referee of the Year Karla Martin echoed the honour of being recognised as part of Female Football Week.
“I think it’s special because there’s lots of ways that women get celebrated in tokenistic ways, sort of as an add-on. This is specifically to lift up the women which is nice,” Martin commented.
“It’s a bit weird. I didn’t realise I was doing that well. I’ve put the work in and I love what I do. Like Victoria said, there’s so many amazing women in the game so I think it’s pretty special to be honoured specifically.”
Despite being sidelined from being on the pitch early in the Football season and awaiting surgery, it didn’t stop Karla from being involved in the mentoring and development of younger and inexperienced referees as a Referee Coach or as a Referee Instructor providing new Referees and Game Leaders with the tools and skills required for their first match.
The Brunch concluded an exceptional week celebrating Females in Football and Capital Football is looking forward to an even bigger and better 2024 edition as we continue to celebrate the role females play in our great game.
