GO Soccer Mums is designed for women to play in a social and judgment-free environment. It's not just for mums but for all women from all walks of life. It doesn't matter if you've never kicked a ball before!
To celebrate our GO Soccer Mums community, we're gathering stories from participants and sharing one per month with our wider football family. Today, Shelley from Mount Martha Soccer Club speaks about how the program has provided her a path into sport.
This story isn't just about me and my journey, it's about our community of GoSoccer Mums here at Mount Martha Soccer Club. A journey I became involved with in 2019 along with many amazing women.
Now today I would never have imagined that I would be a part of a group that supports each other. Women who empower me every week.
This program is all about community and inclusion. I have met many ladies through this program from our community and other clubs.
Over the years I have watched women come and go to the program. Women who have stayed with the program for the last four years. Women who have turned up for one session and not returned and that's ok because it wasn't for them. I've witnessed friendships form that I can see will last a lifetime and that's something special.
Out of this program, something very special has grown. We at Mount Martha have formed an Over 35s Women's Social Soccer group that play against other clubs in friendly competition whether it's 5v5 or 7v7.
If it wasn't for this program and the confidence that it builds in women over time we wouldn't be playing. I can’t wait to have more women join our program this year and hopefully grow our Over 35s.
We have a couple of ladies who are joining our first-ever senior women's team in State League 5 this year from our Over 35s and I am so proud of them for giving it a go for themselves. I can’t wait to see them on the pitch, super supportive of their journey and proud to be a part of it with them.
Over the years the name Go Soccer Mums haven't come without judgment from some. We are inclusive and it’s not just for mums, we have had ladies join us who want to feel a part of something, and they are not a mum. We are all about do something for ourselves, feeling empowered for an hour a week and looking forward to Wednesday nights every week, out on the pitch rain, hail, or shine.
One of the best nights we had was a Friday night and organised a fun game against our U13 girls it was torrential rain, but it didn’t stop us it was so much fun. It wasn’t for everyone that night, but they still joined in and laughed.
There are all kinds of women in our program, from full-time workers to ladies who are grieving, recently divorced or just like to be social. And then there's me the woman who is grateful for joining this program in 2019. I joined because I had a stroke in May 2019 and 17 days later had heart surgery and I thought I need to do this more so for my mental health.
Because of this decision, I have found a path in sport that I would never have imagined. I am about to take the plunge to study in sports psychology, I now have a job going into schools and coaching soccer with a positive start program that is super important for our children.
I have learnt over the last few months that being 47 and returning to work, having to compete with much younger people in the sports field with degrees can be challenging at times. I have applied for three sports scholarships over the last six months and have been unsuccessful but keep applying – I won’t give up.
I have learnt so much about herself, sport, and leadership that it’s not just about soccer anymore, it’s about empowering women and girls to stay active and realise how important sport can be in one’s life whether it’s negative or positive.
But most of all being a role model for my two daughters who both play sports and I hope that I have shown them that anything is possible through strength, resilience, fight, empathy, and pain.
My journey has been an interesting ride in this program with ups and downs, but I am thankful for being supported by those involved - all shapes, sizes, gender, nationalities, all abilities, deliverers, committee, coaches, mentor, family and friends.
If it wasn't for this program at Mount Martha Soccer Club supported by Football Victoria and VicHealth I can honestly say I don’t know what I would be doing right now. I certainly wouldn’t be writing this.
Shelley - Mount Martha Soccer Club