Heidi Tamblyn sees a bright future for the Coastal League One Women’s competition.
The Macleay Valley Rangers skipper said there was plenty to like about the inaugural season and feels it can only strengthen in coming seasons.
“I think it’s a strong competition which has a lot of potential to increase competitive women’s football in the area,” she said.
“It gives young girls something to look forward to when they get into seniors because each region has its own local league, but it’s that next step up which is important for the younger girls who are really competitive.”
Rangers finished a more than respectable third after the regular season and it was their inconsistency which ultimately cost them any chance of finishing higher.
Tamblyn, however, was still satisfied with what she saw from her team who had an eclectic mix of both experience and inexperience.
“We really did make sure that if we lost we made [the opposition] work for the win and if we won we were very deserving of the win so all in all, very satisfied how everyone performed,” she said.
“The one thing we missed out on was that consistency. We were heading that way, but some games we really did play solidly for 90 minutes and on other days we were more fluctuating.”
While there were understandably a few first-year hiccups before a ball was kicked, Tamblyn said it would be worth the competition being run again next season.
She acknowledged some more certainty around when the season would start could also help to generate some additional interest.
“By already having it up and running and having had a season, it will make it even more organised and more enticing for clubs,” she said.
Coastal Football Leagues 