A group of local women from all walks of life have come together to form the very first Jimboomba Thunder Masters Women’s football team.
Winning their first game at the Masters competition in March, the team is made up of women with incredible stories – cancer survivors, veterans and mums – all with a love of rugby.
Team coach Clayton Loveridge said women often go unrecognised in this sport.
“After getting our Jimboomba Thunder men’s masters team back on track in 2024, I thought it would be great to offer the women, that quite often go unrecognised in our sport, a space of their own,” he said.
“The woman’s space is really untapped at the moment, and I want to put as much effort and resources into them as possible.”
Mr Loveridge said it’s not just about football.
“I want to maintain and grow a space for them to laugh, chat, meet new people and to let them challenge themselves to push the boundaries of what society says they should and shouldn’t be doing and play a bit of footy along the way,” he said.
“I also think it’s a great way to bring the whole club together creating a culture everyone wants to be a part of.”
Recently, the team competed in its first rugby league tournament in Tugun with most playing their first ever game of footy.
“They all stepped up against a lot more experienced team,” Coach Loveridge said.
“They executed the drills we learnt at training and worked cohesively making it a very successful weekend.”
Earlier this year, they also had the opportunity to train alongside Bronco’s legend Mick Hancock.
“I’ve known Mick for a while now and as soon as he heard I was putting this team together he jumped at the opportunity to share his time and knowledge with the girls hosting a few training sessions,” Coach Loveridge said.
“Mick runs an organisation called the The Green Project and is heavily invested in giving back to the sport, he contributes a lot to grassroots footy right up through the age groups.”
“To have greats like that around is incredible, so a huge thank you to Mick.”
Team Captain, Candice Nix said when she started with the team it was just her and teammate Sara Fritz-Soti, and it slowly grew to a team of 15.
“I usually play on a masters comp at Runaway Bay with family every year in March, we started training around October, but there were not enough teams for a women’s comp this year,” she said.
“I remembered seeing something about a women’s team in Jimboomba so I thought i’ll have a look.”
“I joined the group chat and not a lot was happening, but Clayton said anyone would be welcome to join the men’s master team for training, so I did, along with Sara and we built it up from there.”
After a successful start to the season, Ms Nix said she’s excited for the team’s future and the opportunities yet to come.
Mr Loveridge said he was currently looking for women to join the team.
For more information contact the Jimboomba Thunder Junior Rugby League Club.
