Women’s day should be the start of a new tradition for South West Football League

Three games on one day, and at one ground. The South West Football League’s women-only round was not only a feast for footy fans in the region, but a chance for some of our female talent to take centre stage. While the simply awful conditions put a literal dampener on what otherwise might have been a vibrant, carnival-like atmosphere at the Harvey Recreation Ground and restricted the extent to which the players could showcase their full array of skills — the day looked every bit like the start of a new and important tradition. It also included the opening of the Harvey Bulls’ new women’s changerooms. While this is admittedly well overdue, the Bulls should be lauded for not only recognising the importance of this step for the operations of a football club which has a powerful women’s team, but getting the funding and making it come to fruition. The hometown heroes couldn’t have christened their new facility any better either, with an on-field performance full of grit and heart helping them over the line against South Bunbury’s powerhouse women’s side. A couple of pesky snap lockdowns over the course of this season made the fixture, which was already a finely tuned balancing act, an even trickier prospect, but there was room for this women-only round this year, and the country week split round means there will be room for it in years to come. It is an event that should be shared between clubs, drawing fans to grounds like V.C. Mitchell Park and Gloucester Park that otherwise don’t have big standalone occasions like this on their yearly calendar. With that said, there needs to be a reason for fans, and even players who are at the triple-header for the first game to hang around for the rest of the day. Music, raffles, and food and drink vendors spread further around the ground would help create a more lively atmosphere during the day and make this a day to pencil in when the fixtures come out.