Albury-Wodonga, Wagga and Griffith soccer bosses float idea of Riverina Women's League

The proposals would see AWFA clubs taking on rivals from Wagga and Griffith in an expanded competition beyond 2021.

Over the last five years, the senior women's competition has dwindled from 10 teams to five and AWFA president Mark Leman is determined to turn things around.

"It is a concern, 100%, so we're looking at some options," he said. "Wagga and Griffith are keen to have a discussion about whether we set up a Riverina League to give them that higher level of competition.

"We'll take that to the clubs and let them have a chat about it during this season.

"We're even thinking about running a weekend tournament, just for the senior women, with Wagga and Griffith involved, so we can have a look at the quality and the standard to see if it's worth doing or not. That's something we're looking at in October.

"It's very early days but I was only talking to Tony Dobbin, the president of Wagga, the other day and he's all for it. Dom Schirripa, from Griffith, thinks it's a great idea too, so everyone's on board at an association level.

"It now comes down to the players."

Leman, who's also president of the Football NSW Riverina Branch, is fiercely passionate about the state of community soccer in the region.

"If you can bring the community together, all different nationalities and different backgrounds, people become part of a club culture," he said. "That's what drives your club. If you've got good club culture, people will come.

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"I've been involved with the association for 35 years and I want to leave something. I want to be able to say I've contributed. I'm not someone who's sat back, complained and done nothing, I've put my hand up and had a go.

"Hopefully people see that I'm trying to improve our image - and I think we're very much competitive with Ovens and Murray now.

"People know who we are and we've certainly got a competition that's thriving. Our senior football standard is getting better every year."

So what does Leman's vision of 'club culture' look like?

"For me, it doesn't matter what ability you are or where you come from," he explained.

"I think every club should be open to all kids of all abilities, players should feel welcome, there's good teamwork, good coaching, players are respected, coaches are respected, committees are respected and we're all working for the benefit of playing football on a Sunday.

"If you can develop the player, the wins will come, but if you train or coach to win, you might be disappointed.

"So let's develop the kids, let's make them feel part of the club, let's give them a uniform, let's make them feel valued and they'll keep coming back."

Leman has held down the president's role for the Albury-Wodonga Football Association since 2017.

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