Diamond League Program

“To create a fun environment for girls to enjoy football and develop their skills”

QUICK LINKS: GRADING & TEAM SELECTION POLICY | PLAYER OFFERS POLICY | LFC DL BRIEFING DOCUMENT | DEV TEAMS G8-G11

The Female Football Award is presented to the NSFA club that has best embodied the NSFA's #WhatsBestForHer strategy in showing commitment to developing female football within their club.
Pictured: Lindfield WPL player Amanda Skellern, NSFA Head of Female Football Eilidh Mackay and Lindfield FC Vice President Paul Grundy.

When it comes to Female Football and player and coach development, Lindfield FC has a long history of leading the way. In 2020, this was recognised by the Northern Suburbs Football Association when we were awarded Female Football Club of the Year!

Our current program continues to build upon this trend and deliver the results expected of a leading club. Lindfield is also the single largest contributor to Northern Tigers Rep squads, we have very high retention rates for players, and our teams generally finish in the top group of teams in the Diamond League competition - check out our Club Honour Roll here.

We believe we offer the most complete development program that focuses on technical skills, team development and importantly, one that focuses on enjoyment of the game.

Click on the links for more information on our SAP League (U8-U11) or Super League (Mixed U12-U18) Programs.

LFC Vision

LFC Vision is to provide the opportunity for children and adults from Lindfield and surrounding areas to play football and promote understanding and enjoyment of the game. To support this, the Girls & Woman’s Strategy will focus on 3 core pillars:

Development: focused on the development of talented players at LFC.
Retention: support the continued enjoyment of football by social teams.
Growth: is about the increase participation by girls particularly in the younger age groups.

***Over the last few years, LFC has run the largest and most successful Diamond League program in the NSFA.***

Girls! We’ve got you covered!

Our DL program comprises

Development Squads for younger girls G8, G9 and G10 and
Full Diamond League program for girls in the G12, G14, G16 and G18 age groups
In recent years LFC submitted TWO (2) DL teams in G12, G14, G16

We also offer a progression into our WAA PL teams from girls that wish to play football when they leave school.

Click here to read about 7 of our young successful LFC players, who, after winning the 2020 Premier League Final, went on to be chosen in the NSFA Womens Select Team that also won the traditional challenge match against Manly Warringah FA.

Teams and Training

Diamond League G12 - G18

In our full DL program for G12, G14, G16 and G18’s, girls train twice per week.

In the G12 to G16 age groups LFC enters two teams in the DL competition to maximise the opportunity for girls to develop their skills.

Training starts in the first week in February and continues until the season completes which is usually in late August. However, if your team is successful, they may be entered in to the Champions of Champions competition which continues through September and October.

Training times vary but will either be on a Monday and a Wednesday/Thursday commencing around 6pm for the younger age groups and later for our G18s.

For more information on the expectations of players participating in our Diamond League program please refer to the Players Offer Policy.

Development Squads G8 - G10

In G8 & G9, we offer the opportunity for keen footballers to join the Development Team. This involves once per week coaching for our development squad supported by additional skills training (optional) through our relationship with Peak Academy.

G10 Development squads* train twice per week under the watchful eye of two very experienced coaches.

We offer two teams in our G10 Development squads. Girls in G9, as well as, girls in G10 age groups are welcome to try out for out positions in these teams.

Training starts in March and continues through to the end of the season in late August. Training is typically on a Monday and a Thursday night commencing around 5pm for 60mins.

Skills Acquisition and Functional Game Skills Training

At LFC we have a multi phased approach to skills acquisition and functional game skills training.

G8-G10: our focus is providing the girls with a solid football foundation and encouraging creativity with a focus on fun and developing the four core skills:

Striking the ball
First touch
1v1
Running with the ball.

G12: Skill Acquisition Phase

Starting to engage elements of game training and game training structured training while incorporating elements of the skill acquisition.
Start to incorporate communication and positioning into players games along with leadership skills. Click Here to see G12 in action.

G13-G18: Game Training Phase

Continuing the focus on the functional game skills plus teaching them to apply these skills in a team setting:-

Get the ball and players into goal scoring positions
Prevent the opponent getting the ball & their players into goal scoring positions
The recommended formation is 4-3-3 (11 aside)

Additional Skills Development

We encourage all our DL girls to continue playing football and develop their skills in the offseason. Many of our girls enter the LSC five a side competition which runs from Sept to Dec.
We also encourage the girls to sign up for our pre-season strength and fitness program . Those wanting to work on some Skills and Drills in the off-season can try these running drills.

To hear from some of our DL girls about the program have a look at the video.

VIDEO PART #2

Trials and Selection

Trials for our DL and development squads occur in the middle of November.
Held over two weekends, girls are asked to play in a variety of small sided and full field games so that we can assess their skill level, game awareness and on field attitude.
For girls who have played with the club before, we are also able to access the coach report from the previous year which is a key input into selection decisions.

Positions will be offered shortly afterwards with an Information session held at the clubhouse early in December.
Follow the links for further details on grading and selection, November Trials or the briefing document from previous year - updated in late November.

Tournaments

Tournaments are a big part of the LFC Diamond League program. They provide the opportunity for the girls to play against opposition from elsewhere in NSW and even further afield, as well as, allowing the girls to experience knockout football. The away tournaments are an important part of the social experience for our DL girls and are the highlight of every season.

Proctor Cup

Held in early February for our G12s to G16s, is an opportunity for the girls (& parents) to have a fun weekend in Bathurst and play lots of football against quality opposition. They play between 4 and 5 games against a mix of rep and club sides from all over NSW. The main focus for LFC is the social side as it allows new girls to connect with their team and is an opportunity for the teams to bond/reconnect ahead of the season.

State Cup

All DL teams are entered into this competition. Matches are scheduled for every other weekend from late May to July. This is a knockout tournament against other NSW teams.
The girls are always excited by these knockout games and get to travel to various parts of NSW to play. In recent years, some LFC teams have been successful in reaching the semi finals. Find out more about State Cup.

Kanga Cup

held in Canberra in the July school holidays, this is the largest football tournament in the Southern Hemisphere. We enter as many teams as we can in this tournament (from G10 upwards) and sometimes borrow players to fill gaps in teams if some girls are not available. This is fantastic week of football with plenty of socializing and activity to keep the girls and their family occupied. On the football side, the girls play 1-2 games per day from Monday to Thursday and hopefully make the finals on the Friday. The cold weather, the football and the social side always makes this a week to remember. Find out more about Kanga Cup.

Champion of Champions

If our DL teams are successful in the NSFA tournament then they are entered into the NSW Champion of Champions tournament to represent the association. This is knockout tournament against the best teams from all across the state. LFC have had some good recent success in the tournament. For those teams fortunate to be entered into the comp, this is a fantastic way to finish the season.

Project 2023 - New Zealand Tour

In 2023, to celebrate the Women’s World Cup, LFC sent our G12-G18 teams to NZ. This was a memorable experience for all girls involved. More details on what we achieved with P23 can be found here.

Our Coaches

Our coaches are hand picked to ensue that we have the appropriate balance of coaching skills (technical, tactical and behavioural) to bring out the best in each player and build a cohesive positive culture that reflects LFC values in all our teams.

A pro-active brand of football, based on effective possession, with the cutting edge provided by creative individuals. Defensively the key components are quick transition and intelligent collective pressing. The Playing Style is underpinned by a strong ‘team mentality’, capitalising on Australia’s traditional strengths.

Our DL coaching team is highly qualified, has many years of experience coaching girls and has been to together for many years.

Diamond League Coaches 2024
Marcus Swift: C licence