Two Dunedin girls can wave their flags with pride, after being named as winners of a flag design competition held earlier this year at a Fern Fever event.
It was one of a range of activities held to promote the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup, along with encouraging young girls to become more involved in the sporting world.
The competition gave pupils the challenge of designing their own Swiss or New Zealand flag.
"Some of the kids were super speedy, but others didn't want to move on," said Southern Football Communications Manager, Cara Bradley.
"They were taking it very seriously".
Milly Quelch from Balmacewen Intermediate and Victoria Hall from Andersons Bay school have been named as the Dunedin winners.
Representatives from Southern Football surprised the pair by presenting them with printed versions of their flag designs, along with free tickets to the game between Switzerland and New Zealand next month.
After the presentation, the winning pair were taken outdoors with their classmates for a skills session with the Southern Football crew.
Southern Football CEO Dougal McGowan hopes events like these will inspire young children to commit to football.
"Whether it's for a year or a month, we just want them to have some activity and maybe choose our game for the future," he says.
You see a lot of girls come to the events and be all shy and stand-offish," she said.
"But at the end, their confidence has grown and it's awesome to see."
Organisers say interest in women's sport continues to grow, with Dunedin set to host its first FIFA Women's World Cup match on Friday July 21.
liam.mclister@alliedpress.co.nz
