How far would you go for footy? For 300-gamer Melinda ‘Mel’ Hyland, it’s nothing to regularly do a 600km round trip to Canberra when her club, the Riverina Lions (based in Wagga Wagga, regional NSW) plays away games in the ACT league. “The travel is worth it,” she says, “and nothing beats the camaraderie of a team who has to spend eight hours together on a bus to play football!” She’s tracked the growth of women’s footy in NSW from the days they played 12-a-side and had to dig holes and ‘plant’ PVC pipes as goal posts to the current day. Since starting her career in 2000, she has notched 303 games with Sydney University, Macquarie/UTS & now the Lions, picking up multiple B&F awards & representing NSW/ACT many times along the way. While she hasn’t yet retired, Mel is now also heavily involved in coaching the next generation of players - the Riverina Cubs, NSW/ACT U16s (head coach) and the NSW/ACT U18s (assistant coach). Her advice to country girls aiming to reach the elite level: “I would recommend making the most of the opportunities that are most accessible - whether its playing in mixed competitions with the boys, gaining exemption to play in a womens league earlier, playing in regional/state tournaments with invitational teams or travelling to the nearest metropolitan centre.”
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 03:40:10 +0000
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