Strong pack at Wheatbelt Wolves

When Ms Douglas's search for a women's Aussie Rules footy club came up blank, she thought there just wasn't enough interest.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Each week, 56 women from across the Wheatbelt now attend training sessions with the region's first women's football club, the Wheatbelt Wolves.

"What I thought was going to be a couple of girls training has gained massive momentum," Ms Douglas said.

It's been a weekly commitment for the women since October last year, and while they should have been gearing up to play their first season, the team hasn't been accepted into a league.

What was supposed to be about playing football has turned into a battle of bureaucracy and gender politics.

The Wolves was unable to enter playing leagues across WA, mostly due to the travel distance.

Ms Douglas said it had been draining and frustrating, especially when the new club was already well-established and had the clear support from sponsors and the community.

"I've had sponsorships that I've had to turn down, because I don't want to take on their sponsorship for the club and then we don't get to play," she said.

"It's hard to believe we still don't have an answer."

The women are of all ages, the youngest players are 14-years-old and the oldest in their 50s.

It's been beneficial for women of all backgrounds to socialise together.

"It's brought women together who didn't fall into an already organised section in the community," Ms Douglas said.

"If you don't play netball or hockey... that's just it.

"And it's sad, particularly with the momentum the AFLW has had for women's sport in general."

Ms Douglas hopes the club can offer girls exposure to football, or sport overall, mirroring the opportunities for boys from a young age.

This way, if they wanted to aim for a career in professional sport, they would have the opportunity to start.

The mother of two, farmer, stud owner and now Wheatbelt Wolves club president lives between York and Albany, depending on the needs of her farms.

Originally from Northern Ireland but having grown up in Bullsbrook, Ms Douglas was always a sporty child, although she never played football.

The Wolves were chosen as they are an animal that resonates a lot with Ms Douglas.

"My personal value is 'your pack above all else', whether that's your family, friends or team," she said.

This led to the Wolves' slogan 'pack first and foremost'.

It was all hands on deck to form the Wheatbelt Wolves club, with Ms Douglas designing the uniforms and club secretary Brittany Reynolds producing the logo.

Despite being a newly-formed club without a league, the Wolves have funding for specialised training from the WA Football Academy.

York local Tom Harris is the coach.

Mr Harris has 40 years of coaching experience behind him.

He's dabbled in a little bit of everything, coaching State league softball, baseball to women's football and AFL Masters.

But football has always been his favourite sport to be involved with, whether it be on the field or from the sidelines.

Mr Harris and his wife Rachel moved to York from Midland in October last year, and like Ms Douglas, sought out local sports to become involved with.

He put his hand up as the Wolves' coach after seeing the call out for help on social media.

"(Coaching women) is a lot easier than coaching men," Mr Harris said.

"Women will listen, men think they already know everything."

While Mr Harris has coached a range of age groups, he's never coached the combination of ages in the Wheatbelt Wolves.

He is impressed by the level of expertise within the team.

Mr Harris described his coaching style as "laid-back and approachable", focusing more on ensuring the players enjoy themselves.

"If you make an art of it or you push them too hard, or you treat them wrong, they won't come back or listen to you," he said.

"You can be their coach, but as soon as that stops, you can be their friend too."

The women already enjoy training and playing together, and Mr Harris said he's had parents of some of the younger women come up to him to say their daughters were enjoying the game.

Mr Harris is also feeling the effects of the politics the club has been up against.

He believes women's sport hasn't always worked out in regional areas because women had less opportunity to pursue hobbies while maintaining the family schedule.

"To be told, twice now, to 'maybe consider netball' is a little bit archaic," Mr Harris said.

The Wheatbelt Wolves offered to travel to the Peel district for their home and away games, aiming to avoid the other teams having to come to York - but the proposal didn't work out.

Mr Harris said there were female sides in Midland, the Swan district and Mundaring which the Wolves could play, but again needing to travel was too big an impediment.

Their best bet is to apply to play under the Avon Football and Netball Association, however the association's constitution stipulates only men can play in their football teams.

Mr Harris said it would take adding the words "and women" to their constitution, for the Wolves to be able to play, take on sponsorships and form their own 'mini league' by developing three teams.

However the Avon Football and Netball Association didn't make any changes at its annual general meeting in February.

"I reckon by the end of 2025, you'd have at least five women's teams," Mr Harris said.