The rebel Female Football awards will be held on Friday, recognising the incredible contribution by both women and men in football at all levels of the game in Australia.
As well as highlighting work done by women at both Westfield W-League and Hyundai A-League clubs, it also shines a light on the unique stories and volunteers at Member Federation and grassroots level.
The awards are held in categories including Female Player of the Year, Female Coach of the Year, Female Administrator of the Year, Female Referee of the Year and Male Champion of the Year.
And today we鈥檙e looking at the nominees from Football Tasmania.
Female Player of the Year - Jo-anne Rowland
Jo-anne鈥檚 role as a female player, leader and role model is an inspiration to everyone in the broader community and she was instrumental in getting the women鈥檚 team started three years ago. Despite being part of a staunch Aussie Rules region, Jo鈥檚 leadership has helped establish the South East United women鈥檚 team as a flagship for the community. Jo is the team captain and leading goalscorer and has even taken on the role of club president in 2020.
Female Coach of the Year - Karen Wills
Karen has been involved in football for over 40 years as a player, coach, parent and spectator. She is currently the Senior Women鈥檚 coach at the Taroona Football Club, while she has also coached the Women鈥檚 Super League (assistant) in 2016-2017 and Women鈥檚 Championship Coach from 2018 to 2020, taking the young team to 2nd place in 2019. In 2018 she was also Assistant Coach for the Tasmanian U14 State Girls Team.
Female Administrator of the Year - Cathy James
Cathy has been the Administrator at Kingborough Lions United Football Club for five years and has taken on the roles of Registrar, as well as providing solid logistics to the Women's HP Program. She has strong relationships with various levels of Government and works with all the Club's Program Coordinators to ensure smooth, seamless running.
Female Referee of the Year - Wendy Ollington
Relatively new to refereeing but from a staunch footballing background, Wendy is a committed and impressive referee. She is a valued and respected referee in Tassie.
Male Champion of the Year - Simon Edwards
A champion of the women鈥檚 game, Simon the playing field isn't always level for females, so he works hard to promote the women鈥檚 game in Tasmania. Simon has driven the Girls/Women's program at Kingborough Lions for close to 10 years. He coaches, he mentors, he counsels players and coaches.
