Ben Muir will lead Kyneton’s women’s football team this season after taking over from Lisa Borg before Christmas.
Borg set up the team and coached for the first two seasons, but decided not to seek reappointment.
While new to the senior role, Muir is no stranger to the Tigers, having coached and played with the club.
“I was assistant to Lisa the last couple of years,” he said. “She did an amazing job setting up the club.
“I came down to training with my partner, who was looking to start, and Lisa asked if I could give her a hand. When the main job came up, I interviewed for it and got the job.
“It’s a great bunch of girls and women’s footy is the next big thing in football.”
Muir said there are currently about 15 players this season, with the hunt on for new and experienced players to join the squad.
The club is holding a come-and-try night for the women’s and youth girls’ sides on January 18. They are also looking at fielding an under-12 team.
“We’ve approached a few new girls and want to work together to build the team up,” Borg said. “Last season we would sometimes have a bench in games, and then in other games we would only have 15 players.”
The Tigers face a new challenge this season playing in a different competition, with AFL Victoria handing control of women’s football leagues to local governing bodies.
Muir said getting the side’s first win is something to aim for this season. The Tigers were winless in their first two seasons.
“Last season we played a lot of the Ballarat sides, but this season we’ll be playing sides we haven’t faced before,” he said. “Getting a win is an aim, but the main focus is getting the girls together.
“There’s a really good culture … if a win comes along, even better.”
Muir said he hopes to get former Kyneton youth player Ainslie Kemp down to the club some time during the season.
Kemp will play in the inaugural AFL women’s season after being drafted by Melbourne, and Muir said she is someone players can look up to and learn from.
Kemp’s VU Spurs’ teammate Kylie Nicolaci will help Muir with the coaching.
Come and try night details: www.facebook.com/events/1635829266719435/
