The Mid North Coast will have a new senior women's football competition in 2022.
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The Coastal League One Women will see the top women's teams from across the region play against each other each week in a single competition.
The game's local governing bodies, North Coast Football and Football Mid-North Coast will partner to offer one competition to the top women's teams from the Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Coffs Harbour areas.
It is expected that six or eight teams will join the competition and play 20 or more rounds between the start of April and the end of August before finals in September.
In the north, Urunga, Boambee, Sawtell and Coffs United are confirmed starters.
Orara has also expressed interest. Football Mid North Coast is in discussions with potential entrants from Kempsey and Port Macquarie.
FMNC general manager Bruce Potter said there is a strong desire for higher-level competition for females in the region.
"Players tell us they want more variety and better competition," he said.
"With the new Coastal League One Women, we will be able to offer competitive top-level football for females and local park football for those who want to play socially.
"In the men's competition, the Coastal Premier League has been an instant success, and we expect the same for Coastal League One Women's.
"We expect the new competition will increase public, media and sponsor interest in the women's game."
Women's football is growing in popularity, with around a third of the football playing population in the area being female.
The number of females in the game is expected to increase in the years ahead with the rise of the Matildas and the staging of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
In a further boost to the female game, both Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie are shortlisted as potential base camps for visiting teams for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The establishment of the Coastal League One Women's is seen as a stepping stone to a Coastal Premier League Women. In 2022, participating clubs will field only one team in the Coastal League One Women.
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