Now it's the girls' turn to put the footy boots on, with two girls winning an injunction last week to play at their local club in an outer suburb of Melbourne.

Evelyn Rannstrom, 14, and Toni Wilson, 15, took their case against AFL Victoria to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) as a last resort, after being denied an age exemption by the Dandenong Ranges Junior Football League to play in the under-14s.

The tribunal last week ruled in favour of the girls, allowing them to play with the all-boys team.

The AFL Victoria gender regulation rule currently excludes females who reach 14 years of age from playing in any competition that is not a 'female competition'.

Rob Mitchell, who is involved in negotiations with the Victorian Country Football League (VCFL) and the AFL to implement policies to stop sex-orientation discrimination, says the tribunal made the right decision.

"I think the tribunal's sent a crystal clear message to the sports administrators that everybody gets a fair go, and I think that's a critical message for them to be sending," says Mitchell.

"I think the message is coming through loud and clear that whatever policies or rules that sporting leagues have got internally, when it comes to people being disadvantaged, when it comes under the Equal Opportunity Act, the tribunal won't hesitate to make sure they get a fair hearing."

This is not the first time VCAT has ruled on this matter. In 2004, a judge ruled to lift the maximum age from 12 to 14, after three girls in the Moorabbin Saints Junior Football League won their case to play, challenging the AFL Victoria rule that banned females from playing beyond an under-12 level. The ban still remains on girls over 14 years.

When contacted by bnews, AFL Victoria declined to comment.

By ANDIE NOONAN