Enthusiasm was at a high at Lakeside Oval on Monday night as the Youth Girls Program turned page one.

The Program forms part of the QBE Sydney Swans Academy and got its initial 12-week elite training program underway with the Youth Girls Cup on a historic night.

A total of 130 girls form part of Under-12 and Under-13 squads as their parents and siblings watched on with pride as they got the ball rolling.

Academy General Manager Chris Smith said fun plays an important role in the program.

“Sport’s about enjoyment and it’s about comradery and it’s about testing yourself and testing others,” Smith said.

“We want to create a really positive environment for these young girls and a system of support. So that’s why we’ve got the mentors there with them and girls who have had a similar pathway and story in their own sporting pursuits. That’s absolutely integral.

“We want the girls to enjoy the AFL game, we know it’s a great game and we’ll ensure that our training sessions and our game environments are supportive of that.

“We see a lot of the sisters come and support their brothers at Academy sessions and it’s good to see them now participating in the program.”

The Program was launched at the SCG almost two weeks ago as the girls received their training kits for the upcoming season.

The girls were introduced to the fundamental skills of the game in the opening hour of the Youth Girls Cup as they ran through handballing, kicking and marking.

Smith and head coach Mark Richardson pulled the strings as a number of Academy boys offered a helping hand, while mentor Nicola ‘Ziggy’ Zagame made an appearance to show her support.

Zagame represented Australia in water polo at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and was brought aboard the Academy to inspire the girls in pursuit of their own sporting dreams.

It’s hoped the girls will develop into future Swans players in the AFL Women’s competition and Smith said the Program was integral to their rise.

“We’ve been quite strategic about it,” Smith said.

“This creates the production line. A lot of other clubs have created an AFL Women’s team and now they’re trying to create a pathway.

“We thought we’d create the pathway first. When these girls are starting to hit high performance at 17 or 18 years of age, we hope we will have equipped them with the skillset and knowledge to have successful AFL Women’s careers.”

Smith said the girls would learn a lot over the remainder of the initial 12-week program.

“It’s a high-skill focus,” Smith said.

“We want to teach them fundamentals. We want to increase their game knowledge – just tell them a little bit about the game, like the phases of the game, the positions.

“We want them joining in the conversations around the dinner table or when they’re watching the footy at home. They’ll be the go-to source.”