A group of MCC members will be front and centre in the next evolution of women’s sport when they take the field for their respective teams in the AFL Women’s League early next year.
At least five members have been selected by AFL clubs for the inaugural season, which will be played around Australia in February and March - Meg Hutchins and Penny Cula-Reid (Collingwood); Ellie Brush and Phoebe McWilliams (GWS GIANTS) and Lauren Morecroft (Western Bulldogs).The AFL’s step into professional female sport follows the lead taken by sports such as hockey, cricket and netball and represents a major opportunity for women to fulfil ambitions that hitherto seemed unattainable. And for all five MCC women, it has been quite a wait to reach the big time.
Hutchins, a six-time All Australian who has also been appointed Collingwood’s full-time women’s operations manager, was one who doubted this opportunity would arise during her playing days with Victorian Women’s Football League club Eastern Devils.
“It has always been a dream to play in an AFL-sanctioned competition," the 34-year-old said. “I was always privileged to represent Victoria at a national carnival, but the dream of playing for an AFL team was never on my mind, as it was never an option.
“This changed once the exhibition series (between Melbourne and Western Bulldogs) was introduced in 2013 – mainly due to the hard work of Debbie Lee, Susan Alberti and many more amazing people with the vision and determination to make this happen.”
For McWillams, 31, being involved in the AFL women’s competition means a temporary relocation to Sydney for five months while she trains and plays with the GIANTS. The key position player, and former MCC staff member, has been a mainstay at St Kilda Sharks for 10 years, represented Victoria four times and achieved All Australian honours. She will now bring her experience to a developing football region.
“The AFL needs players to move to New South Wales to strengthen the talent in the region, as generally NSW is seen as a weaker state compared to Victoria and Western Australia,” said McWilliams. “As a senior player, being part of a young and developing side really appealed to me and as soon as I met the girls I knew I had made the right decision.
“Every female footballer who has been chosen would say that this is an absolute dream come true,” she said. “We have been given an opportunity to play football as a semi-professional career. I just want to absorb as much as I can from the GIANTS program, give it my absolute all and play good football.”
Cula-Reid, who captains McWilliams at St Kilda Sharks, will play alongside Hutchins at Collingwood – the club she barracks for - after her name was called late in the draft.
It is not the first-time the 28-year-old has been a trailblazer for women’s football.
Almost 15 years ago, as a schoolgirl, she went to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and effectively forced AFL Victoria to create a youth girls competition after being told she could no longer play with the boys.
“When I look back and see what we were able to achieve just by sticking up for ourselves, it does make me happy,’’ she told Port Phillip Leader after being drafted. “It’s an honour, quite humbling, when people say I’ve been some sort of pioneer or role model.’’
The 29-year-old Morecroft is a tough, uncompromising defender who plays for Diamond Creek in the VWFL. A lifelong Melbourne supporter, she was drafted to the Western Bulldogs in the 2014 AFL Women’s Draft and played against the Demons in that year’s exhibition match.
In 2015 she found herself in red and blue and, now, is back in the Bulldogs colours again, where she will build on her reputation as one of the competition’s best shut-down players.
The final member of the quintet, Ellie Brush, featured prominently in the previous edition of MCC News magazine. The 28-year-old plays for Canberra United in Australia’s W-League and, in the off season, plied her trade for Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League in the USA. She is one of many multi-talented females who will be emboldened by the opportunity presented by the AFL Women’s League.
There is much excitement and anticipation around what this new competition will bring. Hutchins is one who can already see the bigger picture.
“I am really looking forward to seeing how many more females, families, and young girls come along to the games,” she said. “This league is going to be amazing in creating systemic, long-term change in female sport, equality and empowerment.
“Young girls growing up now have realistic role models that they can aspire to be like. They will see that being fit, strong, active and healthy is so much better than being “skinny and beautiful” like models.”
We wish our girls well in the new league. Keep an eye out for them when the action kicks off in early February.