THE Port Adelaide Football Club is proud to be supporting AFL Women’s Week and the 2011 Women’s National Championships which begin on Tuesday in Adelaide.

Power Captain Domenic Cassisi spoke at the launch of the national titles, speaking of the important role women play in the great Australian game.

“Whether it’s the players’ mothers, their partners or the many others involved directly in football, women are a massive part of our sport,” Cassisi said.

“At Port Adelaide, we have a lot of women working in administration and of course we have Jan Stirling who runs our leadership program.”

But it’s on the field where the girls are making their mark more than ever, with almost 75,000 competing in competitions across the country.

And the best of the best do battle in Adelaide this week, with the 2011 National Championships underway.

The biennial competition is truly national for the first time this year, with Tasmania joining the competition and taking on the mainland States and Terriroties.

South Australia is part of Division 1 and will take on teams from Victoria, Queensland and WA.

Division 2 is made up of New South Wales, the ACT, NT and Tasmania.

South Australia plays the following games:

SA v QLD - Tuesday 7th June 3.45pm-5.25pm at City Mazda Stadium, Richmond
SA v VIC - Wednesday 8th June 2.30pm-4.10pm at Unleash Solar Oval, Woodville
SA v WA - Friday 10th June 12.45pm-2.25pm at Adelaide University Grounds 1 and 2

The Division 1 Grand Final will be played at Gliderol Stadium, Glenelg 11.40am-1.20pm on Saturday 11th June. That will follow the Division 2 Grand Final between 9.20am-11.10am.

As a point of interest, Daniel Motlop’s sister Lauren will be competing for the NT in their Division 2 games.