Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision (Maddie’s Vision) is proudly supporting a pathway for women in football, announcing this week a new partnership with Marist Football Club’s first ever girls football team in Western Australia.

The largest junior football club in the Claremont District with close to 800 members, Marist Football Club will wear new guernseys that feature the Maddie’s Vision logo and Maddie’s favourite colour purple.

The local Claremont football community will work with Maddie’s Vision to bring a spotlight on women in football while also increasing awareness about Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes (BMFS).

St Kilda Captain Nick Riewoldt and leader Maverick Weller, met the girls from Marist Football Club at the Saints Captain’s Run in Perth on Saturday ahead of the West Coast clash.

“This partnership between Maddie’s Vision and Marist Football Club represents a huge step forward for talented young female athletes in Western Australia, and AFL generally, and I know Maddie would’ve loved to have been here having a kick with the girls announcing it,” said Nick Riewoldt.

“Maddie was a real sportswoman. She loved watching and playing sport and competitively played footy until she was nine, when she had to stop playing because there was no AFL pathway for girls back then.”

The announcement comes as the AFL is soon to make a decision on who will be allocated a license for a team within the National Women’s League.

Speaking on the Saints’ submission, Nick Riewoldt is looking forward to the club growing to include a women’s team.

“We’ve put in our application for a women’s team which is really exciting and we’ve been really supportive of that all the way through so I’m just happy to be a part of the club and the direction we’re heading.”

To learn more about Maddie’s Vision visit mrv.org.au.