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GWS get behind Women’s footy in Stockholm

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Greater Western Sydney Giants have generously gotten on board to support Women’s footy in Stockholm.

Following from a visit to Stockholm by former number 1 AFLW Draft pick and GWS player Nicola Barr during her summer Euro trip, the Western Sydney club have kitted out the newly named South Stockholm Giants in the charcoal and orange.

The kit was debuted in an historic match this weekend when the South Stockholm Giants met the Norrtälje Dockers in a massive day of footy at Dockers Sports Centre in Norrtälje. It was the first game of footy to be played between two women’s teams based in the Stockholm area and with two men’s games being played either side the atmosphere around the ground was electric.

With the match being played under blue skies and with temperatures in the high twenties it was a fantastic day to run out the new kit. The coach of the Giants, Melbourne native and North Melbourne tragic Victoria Wyckelsma gave some insight to how the team was feeling prior to running out.

The girls are very excited to have the Giants onboard. I think they were a little surprised that a huge AFL team were interested in supporting them but they looked so good. Also having held a GWS membership since they joined the AFL I’m stoked that the girls are running around in one of the colours I support Victoria Wyckelsma

With a few pre-game cancellations some of the men that played in the other games on the day helped to fill up numbers in the Giants side for the first quarter. But once the game got rolling the women on the field took the game on as their own and put on a dominant display in front of the Norrtälje crowd. Coach Wyckelsma remarked on what the support from the Giants has given the playing group.

The cooperation is great for us to help establish a team- the girls have been kitted out in a fresh uniform and it really gives them a sense of belonging and that they are involved in something special. Victoria Wyckelsma

Team captain Louise Landare who had the honour of leading the team in their first outing in the new Giants kit was ecstatic that the group has been able to progress from a few girls chatting on facebook to a proper team with a proper playing kit. She was thankful in her message to the Giants.

It feels so luxurious to have our own playing kit, all of a sudden we have our own colours, it has done wonders for the team culture. Especially now when we are in the building phase. It is also a massive help here in the beginning when there isn’t much money floating around, to be able to have a kit that is ours, makes us really feel like we are a real team!Louise Landare
South Stockholm Giants: Back row L to R – Jennifer Englisch, Ben Flynn, Lawson Hammond, Eleanor Marshall. Front row – Frida Arnbom, Jennifer Ström, Tanja Nilsson, Louise Landare, Jonas Birgen

The Giants were able to hold onto their lead from the first quarter despite a concerted fight back from the Dockers team and ran out winners in the game 9.10.64 – 4.1.25.