How many boys in your girls team?

PASCOE Vale soccer club says it was just making up the numbers when three boys helped to win a junior girls' match.

Just love junior football don't ya. If we're not slagging the ref, the opposing coach or worse still our own players, we're manipulating the offsides, teaching our kids to foul but this Melbourne club takes the annual award I reckon.

Talk about taking winning seriously....gotta larf at this Melbourne Club. They put three boys in their Under 12 girls team and won the game.


PASCOE Vale soccer club says it was just making up the numbers when three boys helped to win a junior girls' match.

But its opponents insist the club had 15 players and up to four girls on the bench at any one time.

Sandringham City complained after Pascoe Vale fielded three boys in its Under 12A girls game on June 28, which Pascoe Vale won 2-1.

A boy kicked the winning goal with what was described as an "unbelievably super-hard kick".

While Sandringham Soccer Club said the result was not important, it wants Football Federation Victoria to close a loophole allowing boys and men to play in girls' and womens' teams.

Pascoe Vale Soccer Club refused to comment yesterday, emailing a brief statement at 11.08pm.

In it, club president Lou Tona said he was disappointed it had been insinuated that the team fielded boys to try and win the game.

"I strongly deny that this was the agenda ... if the boys did not play the game, it would not have gone ahead,'' he said.

"We are very comfortable that all the work and communication required had taken place before the game, and had Sandringham not been happy with that they could have not started the game, In fact we were prepared to forfeit that game if required.

"The bottom line is that there was an under-12 game to be played and our club did everything it could for that to happen.

"It is also quite disappointing that the girl players in our team have been totally disregarded for this match and that the points have become the main focus.

Sandringham officials insisted they were not at any stage asked permission for the boys to play and that Pascoe Vale had more than a full team of 11 without the boys.

The officials said they complained to the referee several times but did not forfeit as it would have cost their team $500 and a 3-0 loss.

Football Federation Victoria's Junior Standing Committee will meet on Monday to discuss the issue and push for the loophole to be closed.

The organisation says it will look at the issue, probably for the 2010 season, but junior standing committee chairperson Graeme Smith insists action is needed now to prevent further problems.

He wants the FFV to apply to the Equal Opportunity Commission to have boys excluded from girls' comps.

"It's wrong. It's a win at all costs mentality," he said.

"These boys are more experienced, they're stronger, they're rougher. I don't blame the kids at all. It's the parents and the officials that do this.

"The three boys wouldn't have come up and said 'We want to play today in the under-12 girls'.

"This win at all costs attitude is really detrimental to the development of kids."

The loss could cost Sandringham City, known as The Matildas, the premiership, which is decided on ladder position.

But Sandringham officials said losing the game was not the issue.

Coach Georg Robers said his girls felt intimidated and did not want to play against the boys.

"One girl was really upset. She was tackled very hard (by the boys). I think the FFV should show leadership on this issue," he said.

Sandringham girls co-ordinator Ken Montgomery said he complained to the referee but there was nothing he could do.

"The way it is at the moment any club could do that to gain an unfair advantage," he said.