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Woomeras and Medleys to come together in Brisbane

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By: AFL

The country’s most promising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural girls will take part in a talent showcase in Brisbane as part of the 2024 Woomeras and Medleys program

The country’s most promising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural girls Australian rules footballers aged 15-and-under have been selected in the 2024 Woomeras and Medleys squads.

The Woomeras squad is made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, while the Medleys squad comprises players with a parent born outside of Australia.

Both squads feature players from across Australia, who will come together in Brisbane this week to take part in a football and leadership camp.

Players will arrive in Brisbane on Thursday, July 11 and engage in a range of football and athletic training sessions, along with cultural and leadership-building activities across the three-day camp.

The highlight of the program will be two talent showcase matches which will be played at Brighton Homes Arena on Saturday, July 13.

The Woomeras vs Medleys games will be played following the 2024 Marsh AFL National Championships – U18 Girls match between Queensland and the Allies.

AFL Diversity Talent Programs Manager, Narelle Long, said: “We’re thrilled to have our 2024 Woomeras and Medleys squads coming together in Brisbane this week.

“The players in the Woomeras and Medleys squads have showcased great football potential and a determination to develop themselves as athletes and people.

“This week’s camp will provide an environment for the players to engage in activities that will further enhance their football development and develop their leadership skills.

“Saturday’s matches at Brighton Homes Arena provide a fantastic opportunity for players to showcase their talent with a view to then being selected in the Indigenous and Multicultural Academies and other talent pathways programs in the future.”

The Woomeras and Medleys programs will be coached and mentored by a host of current and former AFLW and state league players, some of whom featured as members of the Woomeras and Medleys squads in previous years.

The Woomeras coaching panel includes GWS Giants forward Aliesha Newman, Krstel Petrevski, Janet Baird, Imahra Cameron, Cassie Davidson and Jordy Mifsud, who last year tied for the VFLW best and fairest award, the Lambert-Pearce Medal.

Former Medleys player and Western Bulldogs No. 6 draft pick Elaine Grigg features on the Medleys coaching staff alongside Akec Makur Chuot, Nyakoat Dojiok, Hanna Fosbrooke, Bianka Tsan and Mary Daw.

The Woomeras and Medleys programs feature as part of an action-packed week of talent pathways activities in Queensland.

Brighton Homes Arena hosted a Marsh AFL National Championships U18 boys and girls double-header last Sunday.

Meanwhile, all ten teams competing in the 2024 AFL National Development Championships – U16 Boys have been taking part in Round 2 and 3 of the Championships on the Gold Coast.

HOW TO WATCH: A live stream of the Woomeras vs Medleys matches at Brighton Homes Arena will be available here. The first game will commence at 12:15pm, with the second game to follow at 2:00pm.

Continue below to see the 2024 Woomeras and Medleys squads.

WOOMERAS

FIRST NAMESURNAMESTATECOMMUNITY CLUB
TianaAndersonQLDMoreton Bay Lions
ShanteAndersonWAKelmscott
SianAndrewsVICMacedon
SavannahArnoldTASLindisfarne
TillieBaldwinVICMitcham
LilyBrittainVICNarre North Foxes
TyeishaCalyunSAGoodwood Saints
TiamaCollardWANorth Mandurah
KeiraFawcettWAHigh Wycombe
KhaliaFawcettWAHigh Wycombe
ReneeFordQLDThuringowa Bulldogs
MaiteaGolowynNTPalmerston Magpies
BillieHamiltonACTAinslie Tricolours
TahliaHodgesVICMelton South
EmilyHollingsworthNSWShellharbour
RubyHowellWASouth Perth
NikitaKoppNTPioneer
Akia-MarieLakeVICHealesville
EmmersenLihouNSWWerrimull 
ShanitaMajorTASBurnie
LaylaMaySAGlenunga
JordynMcFaddenNSWWagga Tigers
KiahMcKinnon-RoweVICWhittlesea
TyleeMetera-PottsNSWSouth West Sydney
BellaNelsonWAWanneroo
NalarniPatersonNTSporties Spitfires
FlorencePeterACTAinslie Tricolours
AyvahRioliWAThornlie
LailanieRioliNTUnley
MisteeSagigiQLDCairns Eagles
PippaSchultzWAKambalda
LiaSoSAHectorville
KoorinaSpriggsVICStrathmore
LaylaStonehouseTASProspect
MylaTuckerNSWNewcastle City Blues
JoyishaWardSARoopena
MarleeWelchSAAngle Vale

MEDLEYS

FIRST NAMESURNAMESTATECOMMUNITY CLUB
NicoleBeitzQLDCoorparoo
EllaBologaVICNarre North Foxes
MadisonBooysenNSWNorthwest Lightning
LeileaCockerVICFerntree Gully Eagles
KodieDanielsVICMitcham
AmaliElepano NSWManly Bombers
EmilyFrenchTASWynyard
DeenaGergesVICYarrambat
FelicityHallNSWSt Ives
TabathaInghamVICShepparton United
LaceyIngramVICBalwyn
SabiJordaanWAClaremont
TaylorKazmerWAMarist
LelanniKikoakTASProspect
LeisiKirirua-GillVICWerrimull
LulaKociurubaWAMosman Park
KadaraMarisa-ScottQLDCairns Saints
JuliaMazzacano D’AmatoSAMount Lofty
NikkiMcNeil NSWManly Bombers
LyricMendoza VICCoburg Districts
JadeMillerACTWeston Creek Molonglo
FriyanaMistryNSWWilloughby
ManingningMoralesWAKwinana
SophieParkerSABlackwood
DhiyaanaPereraWAMorley
PenelopePunaivahaWAHill Rangers
PeggyRockNTNightcliff
AngelaRoseSAFlagstaff Hill
IsharaRossVICWhitehorse Colts
HannahSeabornWAMarist
MishaSimmonsVICFrankston
AsiaSingleQLDBurleigh
IsabellaTeohVICAshburton
CammiThomasTASTamar Valley
PhoebeTuckQLDNorth Shore
Lunayvan den HeeverWAJoondalup Kinross
MayleeWadeQLDBrothers Bulldogs
TeenaWestVICEast Brighton Vampires
StellaWilliamsVICCoburg Districts

AMY YANG WINS FIRST MAJOR TITLE AT KPMG WOMEN’S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

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by: Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Amy Yang won her first LPGA tour event on Sunday, taking home the title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. 

At 34 years old, Yang is the oldest major winner in the LPGA since 2018 when Angela Stanford won the Evian Championship at age 40.

“At one point I thought, ‘Will I ever win a major championship before I retire?'” Yang said after securing the victory. “And I finally did it and it’s just amazing. Golf is really just like a fight against myself. I think I proved myself that I can compete and I can do this.”

The South Korea national ended the tournament with an even-par 72 to finish at seven-under 281. At one point, she was at 10 under and held a seven-shot lead that no challenger was able to overcome. 

It was also Yang’s 75th major start, the most before a player’s first major win since Stanford won hers in her 76th major start.

“It’s been incredible all this week — everyone was rooting for me,” Yang said. “I want to go sign some autographs for them.”

Faith Kipyegon breaks her own world record in 1,500 meters

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PARIS (AP) — Faith Kipyegon of Kenya broke her own world record in the women’s 1,500 meters at the Diamond League track and field meeting in Paris on Sunday.

Kipyegon finished in 3:49.04, surpassing her record of 3:49.11, which was set in Italy last year.

“I knew the world record was possible because I recently ran very fast in Kenya,” said Kipyegon, who clocked 3:53.98 at Kenya’s Olympic Trials. “I was coming here to just run my race and to see what shape I’m in to defend my title at the Olympics.”

Nine other runners in the race achieved personal bests. Jessica Hull of Australia finished second in 3:50.83, smashing her own Oceania record by five seconds. Laura Muir was third in a British record of 3:53.79.

The 30-year-old Kipyegon is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 1,500, having won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021. Before Sunday, she had only run twice in 2024, in the 1,500 and 5,000, to secure her spot for the Paris Olympics at the Kenyan trials in June.

Kipyegon’s performance came less than an hour after Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the world high jump record with a leap of 2.10 meters.

U.S. women’s soccer looking for Olympic redemption in Paris

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by: Orri Benatar, Matt Barnes | WKRG

One of the teams to watch at this summer’s Paris Olympics will be the USA women’s soccer team. While they have been wildly successful in the past decade, they have not won an Olympic gold since 2012.

No team heading to Paris may be more hungry than the USWNT. “Winning with the US women’s national team has been a part of our history,” said defender Crystal Dunn. “But by no means is this something that we expect just by stepping out of the field.”

Recently, the world has caught up to the previously dominant US women’s national team. Despite the Americans winning the World Cup in 2015 and 2019, Olympic gold has eluded them with no medal in Rio 2016 and a bronze in Tokyo 2020.

Last year, the US suffered its worst performance at a World Cup after being knocked out by Sweden in the round of 16. “The women’s game is growing so as much as people want us to beat every everyone 7-0, those days may be behind us, and I think that’s amazing,” said Dunn. “Yes, in one way I can say I want the US to win every dominant and when I truly believe that we can, but I also support the growth of the women’s game.

Despite the successful rise of teams like Spain, France, and Australia, don’t count out the US in Paris. They will be under new manager Emma Hayes and despite losing big names like Megan Rapinoe, they have lots of new, young talent in the pipeline like Trinity Rodman, Jaedyn Shaw, and Jenna Nighswonger.

“They are very talented. And understanding that it’s a smaller office and having that talent and how can we all fit that together, it’s something that we’ve been doing for the past couple of months,” said midfielder Emily Sonnett. “Now having a new coach in to evaluate and understand how to use all the skills for the Olympics to have a better chance of winning gold.”

Team USA is hoping a great showing in Paris will only add to the excitement of women’s soccer, which continues to grow exponentially across the globe. “I think it’s been great to be a part of and play a role in it and hopefully we can keep building all the momentum,” said midfielder Rose Lavelle. “I think everyone keeps saying this is the moment. It’s not a moment it’s here to stay that’s going to keep growing and getting better.”

The quest for Team USA begins on July 25 when they face Zambia in its opening group match.

U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team sets out for its ‘redemption tour’

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In past Olympics, the U.S. women’s gymnastics roster included athletes who seemed destined to make the team throughout the four-year cycle.

That was not the case this time.

Simone Biles went two years without competing after the Tokyo Olympics.

Last year, Suni Lee was told by a doctor that she probably wouldn’t be able to do gymnastics again due to two kidney diseases.

Fellow Tokyo Olympians Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey competed throughout this Olympic cycle, but both were beaten out for spots on the 2023 World Championships team by younger gymnasts.

Hezly Rivera was in the junior division last year. She began the run-up to the Olympic Trials by placing 24th at the Core Hydration Classic last month.

Yet Biles, Lee, Chiles, Carey and Rivera make up the team for the Paris Games. That lineup wouldn’t have been predicted before injuries took out three contenders over a three-day stretch last week.

Skye Blakely, the 2024 U.S. all-around silver medalist, ruptured her right Achilles in training Wednesday.

Shilese Jones, a 2022 and 2023 World all-around medalist, injured her left leg on a vault Friday before competition began.

Kayla DiCello, the 2021 World all-around bronze medalist, ruptured an Achilles on her opening vault Friday.

That left 13 gymnasts to perform over two days of all-around competition on Friday and Sunday in Minneapolis.

Biles continued her excellent comeback by winning the trials by 5.55 points, which was greater than the margin separating runner-up Lee from ninth place.

She extended her all-around win streak to 30 consecutive meets dating to 2013. Biles has the world’s top handful of all-around scores in this Olympic cycle, according to the Gymternet.

At 27, she will be the oldest U.S. Olympic female gymnast since 1952.

“I never pictured going to another Olympic Games after Tokyo just because of the circumstances,” said Biles, who dealt with the twisties at the last Olympics. “I never thought I would go back in the gym again, be twisting, feel free.”

0 seconds of 6 minutes, 58 secondsVolume 0%

Lee, the Tokyo Olympic all-around champ, was sidelined for a few months in early 2023 and ultimately diagnosed with two kidney diseases.

She has been in remission since late last year and returned to all-around competition at the Xfinity U.S. Championships four weeks ago.

“I’m so, so glad that I never gave up,” she said. “There were so many times where I thought about just quitting and just kind of walking away from the sport because I didn’t think that I would ever get to this point.”

Chiles was a revelation in 2021. She made the Tokyo Olympic team with neither senior world championships experience nor a top-three finish in a U.S. junior all-around.

She backed it up in 2022 with three medals at the world championships. That impressively came after a full freshman season at UCLA. Rarely has a woman so successfully flipped back and forth between college and elite gymnastics.

In 2023, Chiles took a break after her sophomore season at UCLA and had an abbreviated, month-long run-up to summer elite meets. She was fifth at the 2023 U.S. Championships and ninth at a world championships team selection camp. She did not make the world team.

“This moment, it felt so far away, but it felt so close,” Chiles said Sunday night. “I felt like in times and weeks, I could just grasp it and be like, oh my gosh, I’m almost there. And then other times, I’m just like, I feel like this is 150 years away.”

Similarly, Carey matriculated at Oregon State after winning the Tokyo Olympic floor exercise title.

She also won three medals at the 2022 Worlds. She also didn’t make the 2023 World team (after placing 15th at nationals).

Yet at Olympic Trials, Carey had her two best days of all-around in two years to finish fourth.

“This is the most stressful meet I’ve ever been a part of in my life,” she said. “Just those past experiences really helped me, reminded me of why I’m doing this sport and where I want to go.”

Though Rivera is an outlier on this team — at 16, the only woman not in her 20s — she continues a tradition in U.S. women’s gymnastics.

From 1980 through 2016, every Olympic team included at least one woman who turned 16 (or younger) in the Olympic year. That streak was snapped in Tokyo.

Rivera, the 2023 U.S. junior all-around champion, joined the mix for this team by placing sixth at her senior nationals debut four weeks ago.

As things stand, she would be the youngest U.S. Olympian in Paris across all sports.

“2028 was the goal,” Rivera said.

Both Biles and Lee referred to Paris as “a redemption tour” after the U.S. took team silver in 2021 following golds in 2012 and 2016.

“I feel like we all have more to give, and our Tokyo performances weren’t the best,” Biles said. “We weren’t under the best circumstances, either. But I feel like we have a lot of weight on our shoulders to go out there and prove that we’re better athletes. We’re more mature. We’re smarter. We’re more consistent.”

‘I have so much pride’: Retiring Cat on footy journey, women in sport

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By Sarah Black | AFL

From playing local netball to AFLW football, Erin Hoare has seen sport from all angles. After announcing her retirement, she speaks to Sarah Black about footy, family and fearlessness

ERIN Hoare is hanging up her footy boots after a second elite sporting career, spanning a period of historic growth for women in the industry.

The multi-talented Geelong player was a netballer prior to football, plucked from the local courts of St Mary’s in the shadows of GMHBA Stadium to play with the Melbourne Vixens and the NSW Swifts.

As AFLW developed, she joined Geelong’s VFLW program, signing with Melbourne as a rookie in 2018, before returning home to Geelong for the Cats’ first AFLW season the following year.

A career break followed, the academic continuing her post-PhD studies in mental health at Cambridge University in England, and somehow finding time to have children Edie (now four and a half) and Conor (18 months).

She played one final season with the Cats last year, before deciding to retire a few weeks ago.

Erin Hoare poses with husband Chris and children Edie and Connor at GMHBA Stadium on April 5, 2023. Picture: AFL Photos

In a league filled with extraordinary women, Hoare’s story is astonishingly multifaceted, weaved into a sporting revolution taking over the world.

“I’m really proud. I played netball for a long time at community level. I didn’t play elite netball till I was an adult, and I just got so much from being connected into community sport,” Hoare told AFL.com.au.

“I had such an extensive family there through sport. I have so much pride in being able to experience that, you know.

“In netball (with the Vixens), I didn’t play a lot. I trained a lot. I was a development player, but I got to see a lot. I was in the team when Sharelle McMahon made her return from having a baby. I got to see what that was like 10 years ago, compared to what it’s like now.

“I got to cross codes over to footy and that just made me happy, you know, to be able to play a sport with people that were similar to me and, you know, perhaps a bit different. I just felt like I belonged, in ways that I didn’t feel in any other sport I ever played.

“And then to get to play at the top level – I thought all my tears were expelled, but they’re coming back.

Hoare is grateful to have been able to play elite sport in a generation where the opportunities have never been greater, finding her feet at the top level at the right time.

“I loved sport when I was a kid. I loved every single sport possible, and wanted to play a sport. I watched Sharelle McMahon shoot the winning goal (1999 world championships) on TV, so I had that in my mind, that I wanted to play sport,” Hoare said.

“I had this opportunity through growing to be the height that I am (194cm) and probably combined with the attitude of wanting to work hard and wanting to be a part of the team.

“Having my research, I was able to understand that sport and physical activity offers so much more than just being active. Truth be told, it would have been my dream to be a professional athlete.

“For the fact I’ve been able to get these opportunities and memories, and witness what’s occurred is an enormous privilege. I’ll never take it for granted.”

Erin Hoare and Gabbi Featherston celebrate a win during round seven, 2023. Picture: AFL Photos

When it comes to the timing of her retirement, while planning for the rest of the year with her family, Hoare realised it was the right moment to make the call.

“Obviously it’s a really big decision and a tough decision. I had really wanted to be able to play out this year. Coming back to footy was an opportunity that I didn’t know was going to happen, and was just so thrilled I was able to play last year,” Hoare said.

“But resources and energy and time are finite, and the priority of my kids comes first. It sort of made that decision a bit easier, but definitely very sad. I’ve been involved in football for a long time. I had a break playing, but never, truly left.

“There’s been a natural progression (in training sessions) from 2018 when I was first involved, up until now, which is as expected as the competition goes from semi-professional to professional, but I wouldn’t say it played into my decision.

“I’ve said this before, but the Geelong footy club are incredibly supportive, and would do anything, and want to do anything to support women to play, and women with caring responsibilities and families.

“Anything that we need, they would ask us to talk to them about so they could make sure our needs were accommodated, so I was fully supported as a parent.

“But the reality is, elite sport requires a lot, and should require a lot, and just making that decision – those resources go to my go to my little ones, and that comes first.”

Erin Hoare (left) and Taylor Smith compete for the ball during the preliminary final between Brisbane and Geelong on November 25, 2023. Picture: AFL Photos

While a return to the local netball courts is unlikely, Hoare will continue to scratch her competitive itch with the chess club she has with her friends.

“The pride for me is at an individual level, but it’s also community level of women in football,” she said.

“It’s the community level of Geelong, in and of itself, and the way in which we support women’s sport.

“Then it’s also at our national level of where we’re heading. So, there’s a lot of pride to have been involved in that, for sure.”

Wimbledon 2024: Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu are among the women to watch

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By: Howard Fendrich | The Associated Press

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Here are some of the women to watch at Wimbledon, which starts at the All England Club on Monday:

Iga Swiatek

Ranking: 1

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Poland

Age: 23

2024 Record: 45-4

2024 Titles: 5

Career Titles: 22

Grand Slam Titles: 5 — French Open (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), U.S. Open (2022)

Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-Lost in the Quarterfinals, 2022-Lost in the 3rd Round, 2021-4th, 2019-1st, 2018-Did Not Play

Aces: Has not played since winning the French Open on June 8 for her fifth Grand Slam championship, including four of the past five titles in Paris. … Is now 5-0 in major finals. … Wimbledon is the only major tournament where she has not been to at least the semifinals. … Voted WTA Player of the Year in 2023 for second season in a row; Serena Williams was the last to get that honor consecutively, doing so from 2012-15.

She Said It: “Winning five Slams seems pretty surreal. I would never expect it when I was younger.”

Read All About It: ‘The One Where She Wins Her Fifth Grand Slam’

Coco Gauff

Ranking: 2

Career-Best Ranking: 2

Country: United States

Age: 20

2024 Record: 32-10

2024 Titles: 2

Career Titles: 7

Grand Slam Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (2023)

Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-1st, 2022-3rd, 2021-4th, 2019-4th, 2018-DNP

Aces: Has reached at least the semifinals at each of the past three majors. … Won the U.S. Open last year — the first American teenager to triumph there since Serena Williams in 1999. … Won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in June, teaming with Katerina Siniakova. … Started working with coach Brad Gilbert after a first-round exit at Wimbledon in 2023.

She Said It: “I’m not going to put a number (on) how many (majors) I want to win. But as many as I can.”

Read All About It: Gauff’s first Slam trophy came at age 19

Aryna Sabalenka

Ranking: 3

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Belarus

Age: 26

2024 Record: 30-9

2024 Titles: 1

Career Titles: 14

Grand Slam Titles: 2 — Australian Open (2023, 2024)

Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-SF, 2022-DNP, 2021-SF, 2019-1st, 2018-1st

Aces: A semifinalist each of her past two Wimbledon appearances; was unable to enter the tournament in 2022 because all players from her country were banned after Belarus helped Russia attack Ukraine. … Won the past two Australian Open titles. … Has a record of 54-9 in her last 11 major tournaments. She was 16-14 in her first 14. … Briefly ranked No. 1 last season.

She Said It: “I mean, definitely Grand Slams — that’s the goal for everyone. And definitely, everyone feels the pressure.”

Read All About It: Sabalenka’s first major championship was about persistence

Elena Rybakina

Ranking: 4

Career-Best Ranking: 3

Country: Kazakhstan

Age: 25

2024 Record: 35-7

2024 Titles: 3

Career Titles: 8

Grand Slam Titles: 1 — Wimbledon (2022)

Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-QF, 2022-Won Championship, 2021-4th, 2019-DNP, 2018-DNP

Aces: Won her first major title at Wimbledon in 2022, but did not get the usual rankings bump because no points were awarded by the tours there that year. … Her title defense at the All England Club last year ended in the quarterfinals. … Was the runner-up at the Australian Open in 2023.

She Said It: “I think I can play on all the surfaces. Of course, looking back to the results, grass, I will say, is the favorite, because it’s fast.”

Read All About It: Rybakina’s Wimbledon title came with a muted response

Marketa Vondrousova

Ranking: 6

Career-Best Ranking: 6

Country: Czech Republic

Age: 25 on Friday

2024 Record: 16-10

2024 Titles: Zero

Career Titles: 2

Grand Slam Titles: 1 — Wimbledon (2023)

Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-W, 2022-DNP, 2021-2nd, 2019-1st, 2018-1st

Aces: Has just two tour-level titles so far — but one came at a Grand Slam tournament, Wimbledon last year. … Owned a 1-4 career record at Wimbledon before going 7-0 en route to last year’s championship. … The left-hander has been sidelined for chunks of time because of wrist problems.

She Said It: “On grass, I didn’t play so good, so I would never have thought of (winning Wimbledon).”

Read All About It: Vondrousova is a unique champion

Emma Raducanu

Ranking: 168

Career-Best Ranking: 10

Country: Britain

Age: 21

2024 Record: 13-8

2024 Titles: Zero

Career Titles: 1

Grand Slam Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (2021)

Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-DNP, 2022-2nd, 2021-4th, 2019-DNP, 2018-DNP

Aces: A series of injuries — including three operations last year — and frequent coaching changes have made recent seasons tough for the 2021 U.S. Open champion. … Played as well as ever during the Eastbourne grass-court tuneup the week before Wimbledon, including the first win of her career against a member of the top 10, Jessica Pegula. … Certain to get plenty of attention and plenty of support from the home crowds at the All England Club.

She Said It: “I have been going through some stuff, so to come through has been really nice.”

Read All About It: Raducanu was 18 when she became the first qualifier to win a Slam title

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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press

The ‘special and unique’ part of footy that drives Daisy

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By Gemma Bastiani | AFL

DAISY Pearce might be one of the most decorated names in the women’s game, known for her skill, leadership, and strategic mind. But there is one key driver for Pearce behind it all: a sense of belonging to something larger than herself.

The concept of a team-first game is no truer than when discussing Australian Football, and more specifically, AFLW. With playing lists of 30, and a team of staff working behind the scenes, bringing a big group together all with the same goal is both the most challenging and most enticing part of the game.NEWSAFLW ‘evolves’ to a national draft ahead of 2025 season

“There is something so special and unique about footy, just the size of your list and the program, the club. To have people from so many different walks of life and background, all trying to push towards the same thing,” Pearce told AFL.com.au.

“That is probably my favourite thing about coaching, and it was my favourite thing about playing as well.”

Now taking charge at West Coast as head coach, Pearce has become the driver of the group. Overseeing the whole program is a mammoth task for anyone, but particularly for someone like Pearce who has plenty of eyes on what she’s doing by virtue of her status in the game.

But, really, pressure is coming from the ultra-competitive Pearce herself, as she learns to balance her style of coaching with her responsibility to her family.

03:25

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“The coach I want to be means a lot of care and love and nurturing the 30 players that I’ve got. It’s not lost one me, the responsibility I have for their very short careers,” Pearce said.

“I’ve always thought about how lucky I was that I got eight seasons of AFLW with a coach that I loved who, every week, I felt was challenging me to get better. I walk away with this amazing experience that’s shaped my football career but also my life.

“Now I’ve got players that are relying on me to be that for them.”FEATUREHow life outside footy has shaped AFLW’s female coaches

That coach was Mick Stinear, someone who has been a significant influence on how Pearce has shaped her own attitude toward coaching. 

“If I had one dollar for every time I thought, ‘What would Mick do?’ I’d be wealthy,” Pearce laughed.

Daisy Pearce and Mick Stinear lift the premiership cup after Melbourne’s win over Brisbane in the S7 Grand Final on November 27, 2022. Picture: AFL Photos

“I just feel so grateful that nothing changed since I took the (West Coast) job. I’m sure that when we play against each other we’ll both want to win. One of the main things we bonded over was our competitiveness and will to win, so I expect nothing less than for him to want to do a real number on us when we play.”

Unfortunately, Pearce and Stinear will have to be patient on that front, with West Coast and Melbourne not fixtured to line up against one another this year.FEATURESelf-doubt, uncertainty: How AFLW’s female coaches deal with ‘impostor syndrome’

Before she formed such a fierce bond with Stinear, it was in her days with the Darebin Falcons that Pearce learned the value of being one of a unit, rather an individual competing alone.

“You always had to concern yourself with more than just trying to get a kick and trying to be a good player. That’s just the nature of community clubs, and particularly at the Falcons where everyone had a ‘get it done’ mentality,” Pearce said.

“I always had this vision of the competition getting to a place where it was a national, fully fledged, elite competition and for a long time thought you were trying to advance it for someone else… I guess I always had that understanding that we as a team, or as a comp, you’re only going to be as good as everyone around you.”

Daisy Pearce in action for Darebin during the VFLW Grand Final against Melbourne University on September 18, 2016. Picture: AFL Photos

The drive of those who progressed from the Falcons program is clear, with Pearce’s teammates from those Victorian Women’s Football League (VWFL) days proliferated throughout the AFLW, including three of the five women in head coaching roles this year.

Pearce joins Natalie Wood (Essendon) and Lauren Arnell (Port Adelaide) as former Falcons taking the reins in 2024.

“I remember when Natalie Wood got the job at Essendon. She’s standing there in a big press conference for one of the biggest clubs in the land, and it’s like ‘I played footy with her at Darebin!'” Pearce said.

“Even though all of this is happening in my own life, you still kind of notice that more when you see it play out for other people, same with Lauren Arnell. You’re just so proud of them because of those early experiences you shared when it didn’t seem possible.”

Natalie Wood addresses the team during the AFLW R4 match between Essendon and Fremantle at Windy Hill on September 24, 2023. Picture: Getty Images/AFL Photos

In those days, when the AFLW was simply a dream rather than a reality, Pearce was always trying to find a path into footy.

“I could have never dreamed of this,” Pearce admitted.

“I remember emailing all 18 clubs, or 16 at the time, to want to do work at the clubs and that kind of thing, and it never getting anywhere… and I guess you put it away for a little while because it doesn’t seem possible, but then just go about doing what you can do and taking the opportunities you can. And this is where we’ve ended up, so it’s pretty exciting.”NEWS’You have to be really careful’: Daisy’s biggest coaching challenge

But now, more than a decade on, Pearce was the one in demand as four clubs hunted for new head coaches ahead of the 2024 NAB AFLW season. The world was now opening doors that previously remained deadbolted.

“There’s a job in women’s football that’s big enough and meaningful enough to pick up my family and move to the other side of the country. It’s like, ‘Wow, look how far the game’s come’,” Pearce said.

Daisy Pearce, her partner Ben and their children Sylvie and Roy at Pearce’s retirement media conference on January 18, 2023. Picture: AFL Photos

As Pearce, someone who has never watched football “as a fan who was hoping our score was bigger than the other team’s score at the end of the game”, prepares for yet another challenge to help move the women’s game forward, there is no one better placed to attack it head on.

West Coast, which has a historically poor record since joining the AFLW in 2020, is desperate to start on a path to success. Appointing Pearce to lead the program is the first big step on that journey.

2024 BJK Youth Leadership Honorees

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The Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award celebrates and honors young people who are using the power of sport as a catalyst for change and making a positive impact on society. This year, ESPN has expanded the Award to include three Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award honorees and 20 regional recipients.

Conor Campbell

Conor Campbell is a student-athlete from Trenton, New Jersey. He is a Bonner Community Scholar and has contributed more than 300 hours advocating for youth access to affordable athletic opportunities as well as contributing to research to identify funding partners for the program. When sports programs in Trenton were dropped due to budget cuts, he advocated to reinstate sports by reaching out to the New Jersey Senate, Education Commissioner and Senate Budget Committee Chair. Through his work with Academic Sports Academy and The College of New Jersey, Conor has developed an affordable basketball and enrichment program, providing safe after-school programming for elementary and middle school students. The program includes tutoring, sports activities, youth development, mentoring and life skills development.

Ayanna Shah

Five years ago, Ayanna Shah, along with and her sister Amani, founded Second Serve to shatter barriers to entry in sports by redistributing gently used tennis equipment and offering free clinics to under-resourced youth. In her role as CEO, Shah has grown Second Serve’s profile and impact, recruiting 100 new volunteers, confirming 76 new partnerships, and growing to reach 46 states. As a youth-led organization, Shah empowers young people to grow into leaders by creating service opportunities. She has created a team of 220 young leaders between the ages of 12 and 17, each of which collects equipment and donates to a multitude of low income communities throughout the United States and around the world at large. To date, they have distributed over 27,000 pieces of equipment.

Hannah Smith

Hannah Smith was born with Spina Bifida and was introduced to adaptive sports at the age of 11 through Sportable, an organization that creates opportunities by making sports accessible and inclusive for individuals with physical disabilities and visual impairments. Since joining Sportable a decade ago, Hannah has become a competitive wheelchair basketball player and advocate for the promotion of adaptive sports globally. At Sportable, she developed and launched their inaugural wheelchair basketball camp and women’s wheelchair basketball clinic. As part of a US State Department-sponsored adaptive sports cultural exchange to Turkmenistan in 2019, Hannah served as a youth ambassador representing USA. In 2023, Hannah also created the See It, Be It storytelling project, a social media initiative aimed at showcasing the diverse career aspirations of youth with disabilities and inspire young people to pursue their dreams.

In addition to the three Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award honorees, the following young people have been named regional recipients:

  • Graham Allen, San Diego, Calif.
  • Devin Arana, Los Angeles, Calif.
  • Bryan Aviles, Austin, Texas
  • Sara Blau, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
  • Alayna Burns, Durham, N.C.
  • Jalen Coleman, Inglewood, Calif.
  • Mia Darr, Milwaukee, Wis.
  • Lila Emerson, Edina, Minn.
  • Brandon Hersh, Durham, N.C.
  • Aubrey McLin, Davis, Calif.
  • Kethan Mokadam, Columbus, Ohio
  • Sameer Mullick, Queens Village, N.Y.
  • Mikayla Paquette, Boston, Mass.
  • Mia PhilIppi, Portland, Oreg.
  • Gianni Quintero, Milwaukee, Wis.
  • Santo Raggiri, New York, N.Y.
  • Anne Stauffer, Owensboro, Ky.
  • Kourtni (Mackenzi) Stewart, Mableton, Ga
  • Claire Wegmann-Krider, Edina, Minn.
  • Graham Wooden, Oneonta, N.Y.

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