26 May 2023

Do you have an artefact of women's football in the ACT? It's time to share your memories

| Tim Gavel
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three women looking at a computer

Mikaela Danvers (Visual Communication Design), Stephanie Trimble (Interior Architecture) and Ashley Harrison (Culture and Heritage), project leaders for the UC women’s football exhibition. Photo: Supplied.

Canberra won’t be hosting a game in the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup, but UC and Capital Football will use the occasion to join forces to establish an encompassing exhibit to celebrate football in the capital.

The exhibit will cover every aspect of women’s football in Canberra, including an opportunity for the community to be involved.

That involvement will be tangible.

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Mikaela Danvers is a project lead and co-designer of the exhibition at UC.

“We are asking the Canberra community to reflect on their own memories and experiences with women’s soccer in the ACT and to contribute to the exhibition,” said Mikaela.

“It could be artefacts from games, trophies, shirts, memorabilia, a ball from a significant game. We are also seeking stories from people about their memories of women’s soccer in Canberra.”

Mikaela said the exhibit already has some items for the exhibit – “we have a lot of trophies from Capital Football” – but more are sought.

Capital Football

It’s hoped the World Cup will encourage more women to take to the field and the stands in the capital. Photo: Capital Football Facebook.

“It doesn’t have to be at the elite level, it can be from grassroots – we can work it into our exhibition. It could be a fan that has memorabilia from any football event with a focus on women. It could be players or their families who had an involvement with the two major women’s football teams in the ACT, Canberra Eclipse and Canberra United. It could be photos, jerseys or boots.”

Nothing, it would appear, is off limits as the exhibition organisers look to capitalise not only on the expected increase in interest in women’s soccer during the World Cup, but also Canberra’s reputation as one of biggest supporters in the country for women’s sport.

“Organised women’s competition football in Canberra has been going for about 45 years, and we are looking for photos from those early days. We have people with collections who we are working with. We would like more from people who have been directly involved.”

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The exhibition also falls naturally into the UC’s sport-focused strategy, while the Faculty of Arts and Design is heavily involved in putting the exhibits together.

The exhibition will be at the University of Canberra in July and August.

Kanga Cup players and audiences will be able to enjoy the exhibition at UC during their time in Canberra. Photo: File.

This will capitalise on the influx of players and their families to Canberra during the Kanga Cup, the largest junior competition in the southern hemisphere, followed by interest generated with the World Cup in Australia.

Mikaela Danvers can be contacted through the University of Canberra.

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