With the launch of a second senior women’s team in 2024, Williamstown CYMS Football Club is proud to announce that our very own Sarah Beagley will be taking the reins of the Seagal’s Reserves, marking a new chapter for women’s football in Williamstown.
As an inaugural player, Sarah’s first appearance in the Blue and Gold was in the Seagal’s historic 2018 debut. Since then, she has quickly cemented herself as a cornerstone of not only the Women’s football program, but the club as a whole. And her commitment to women’s sport in Williamstown does not end there. Sarah was also an inaugural player of the Williamstown CYMS women’s cricket team and a dedicated member of their committee.
From the inception of her time at Williamstown, Sarah has had an immeasurable impact on the club and those within. Her playing career saw her reach a multitude of milestones, with over 50 games under her belt, one of which solidifying her as a premiership player. In the time she was not on the field dominating in the ruck, she was working hard to make sure players and club members alike have enjoyable seasons off the field, committing two years to the events and fundraising committee.
2023 marked a fitting end to her six- year playing career at Williamstown. Her last game in the guernsey saw the Seagal’s make history as the first CYs women’s team to take home a premiership cup after a dominating win in the 2023 Division Two Grand Final.
Preceding her commitment to the development of the future players of the Seagals’s Reserves, she paved the way for generations of girls to embrace football in a way that was inconceivable to her growing up. Sarah, alongside other likeminded and dedicated individuals, has worked tirelessly to cultivate a pathway for women’s football in the West. Having to wait 132 years for women to take the Fearon in the Blue and Gold after the establishment of the men’s team, it has been utterly inspiring to watch Sarah and other players and supporters alike persevere to overcome the challenges standing in the way of the Seagal’s bright future.
Women’s football in Williamstown finds itself at an exciting juncture, with the increased ability to support young girls to achieve whatever they desire from their football experience. Showing her enthusiasm for the implementation of a unified Williamstown women’s football program, Sarah has said “it’s an exciting time as we can make the space for even more of the Willi Juniors and VFL players, as well as girls across the west, to pull on the CYs guernsey and be a part of this history-making Seagals crew!”. The second Seagal’s team will undoubtably be in safe hands, this not being Sarah’s first coaching stint. Playing basketball and netball growing up, Sarah was appointed a coach of a Representative Basketball team at the Altona Gators.
Sarah has embodied the Seagal’s spirit, epitomising the strength and unity that will ease the transition into this exciting new chapter of women’s football in the west. Not only will she be remembered at the club for her photo on the Fearon wall, but her influence and admirable spirit is now set to live on within the numerous iterations of the Seagals yet to come.
A message from Sarah:
I’m so excited to be a part of this new chapter in the women’s program at CYs! I could’ve never imagined back during my first training session at CYs, as we pushed to get the team off the ground in 2018, that I would be a part of the team’s entry into the premier division at VAFA.
Having the chance to play against some of the best amateur women’s sides in the state and expand our women’s program to a place we could’ve only dreamed of back then is such an honour.
To top it all off, I’m so grateful and a little chuffed to be offered this opportunity by the best coach and leader I’ve ever had in Lawrence Henry, and I can’t wait to support him and Jack in continuing to build this incredible women’s program into what is fast becoming the absolute best in the west.