Twenty-seven teams of female junior players from around the state have converged on Kiama for Sydney FC’s leadup event to the Womens World Cup, the Female Football Festival.

“Sydney FC was looking for a regional area to hold this tournament, which would be normally held in the big stadiums in Sydney,” says Andrew Wales, the Kiama Junior Football Club President.

“They saw the work we were doing here to promote female participation and approached us to partner with them.”

Over today and tomorrow, the teams will play in a round robin competition – from the under 8s to the under 15s.

Sydney FC’s women players will be arriving at noon today, as inspiration for the younger players.

Kiama's excited Under 8s, with KJFC Coach Ben Morgon, President Andrew Wales and Vice President Kaz Applebey

“It is a competitive event, but the overall aim is to build the profile of womens football ahead of the World Cup,” says Andrew.

“We’ve teams from the powerhouse Sydney clubs as well as strong local clubs like ours.

“We invite everyone to come down and watch junior football at its finest in this World Cup aligned event.”

Kiama has two teams in the competition

The event has brought close to 1000 people down for a couple of days, providing a bonus for school holiday tourism in the damp weather.

The Kiama event is on 13-14 April, from 10-4.30pm each day, at the Quarry Sportsfields at Havillah Place.

The 2023 Womens World Cup, being cohosted by Australia and NZ, begins on 20 July.