Girls-only Holiday Camp

SIGN UP NOW for a two-day holiday camp for kōhine (young women) aged 13-14 in the July school holidays.

The purpose is to create a supportive and empowering environment where kōhine can develop their football skills, enhance their self-awareness and build connections with friends and other females in the football community.

We are keen to get a mix of different schools and clubs across the region. This programme is open to all levels of playing ability and we have a big focus on fun and community.

WHEN: Wednesday 17 & Thursday 18 July

WHERE: English Park, Christchurch

TIME: 9:00am-3:00pm

COST: $80 (for 2 days – no single-day registrations)


Spaces are limited to 50 participants.

We don’t want the cost of this camp to get in the way of young women participating, so please get in touch if that is the case.

This programme is adapted from WaiBOP Football’s Wahine Toa Programme.

July 2024 Holiday Camp

Mainland Football hosted a two-day football holiday camp in the July holidays for kōhine aged 13-14. The girls’ only camp saw 36 young women across the region from various schools and clubs come together to not only improve their football skills but also to enhance self-awareness and build new friendships within the football community. 

Skills sessions covering attacking, defending, goalkeeping, and technical skills were led by an awesome team of young female coaches who are active players and coaches in the community. This was complemented with interactive workshops and games as well as a mini tournament. 

The purpose of the holiday programme was designed around the Mana Taiohi framework, incorporating principles integral to Te Ao Māori. Whanaungatanga (building relationships), manaakitanga (caring for others), matauranga (gaining knowledge), and whai wāhitanga (empowerment and participation). 

We are grateful to collaborate with our friends at WaiBop Federation in the planning of this programme. Mainland Football drew inspiration from Nat Broadhead, Women’s Federation Development Officer, and her leadership of the Wāhine Toa programme in Rotorua. We wish to continue sharing ideas and best practise to ensure we are delivering meaningful and relevant programmes to the young people in our communities. 

Highlights from our Mainland Football camp include hearing guest speaker and former Football Fern,  Aimee Phillips, share her motivating journey. Our goalkeeping session, led by Bailey Jordan and Amber Bennet received high praise among kōhine, as well as the “Design a Football Club” workshop. 

With positive feedback from our young footballers, we are excited to integrate suggestions from this year’s participants into future camps. As we continue to build on the success of this camp, Mainland Football remains committed to empowering young women through football, providing them with opportunities to grow as individuals and athletes in a supportive and engaging environment.