Breaking the bias: What AFLW changed for Randall and Doedee
This International Women's Day, two Crows reflect on the impact women’s footy has had on them, the Club and those they inspire.
Growing up
It’s hard to imagine a two-time premiership co-captain, three-time All Australian and four-time Most Courageous Player ever being nervous about her football career. But as a young girl playing footy in Western Australia, Chelsea Randall was exactly that.
Belonging
“I never felt that I belonged, especially in my younger years when I was playing in the boys’ competition… I can’t tell you how many times I questioned myself playing football,” Randall told AFC Media. “I was an outsider at high school… I was too ashamed to tell the girls that I loved playing footy, because it appeared that no-one else did so I couldn’t connect with the people around me. I thought there was something wrong with me because I just loved and was so passionate about AFL, but I didn’t see many other young girls doing it.”
'They will come'
This year’s International Women’s Day, on March 8, is focused on Breaking the Bias. Randall believes that the explosion of support for AFLW has helped do exactly that. “I couldn’t be prouder of what the AFLW has done for the Australian community and across the world,” Randall said. “It turns out there were heaps of girls that wanted to play and were just too scared to have a go because of that judgment. To see that is so powerful - there’s the saying, ‘If you build it, they will come’, and they certainly came.”
Role models
For Randall, the impact of AFLW and the role models it provides transcends just sport. “I am probably a bit biased but I feel like we’ve helped change the world,” Randall said. “The beauty of adding female role models to our community, in sport and in the general community, is absolutely priceless… you can’t buy that. In the most humble way, it happens every weekend at the footy where a young girl comes up and says, ‘You’re my favourite player, I want to be just like you when I grow up and I can’t wait to one day play for the Crows’.
Impact
“Hearing that is truly a big reason why myself and my teammates do what we do and continue to love it - because of those moments. Sometimes, even more powerful, is the older women that come up almost weekly and say, ‘Wow, if women’s footy was around when I was your age I would’ve been all over it’. It just wasn’t around… and that makes you feel so lucky and so privileged that you get to do it for all the people who missed out on that opportunity. They were the brave ones. They were the ones who asked questions and asked why girls weren’t given the same opportunities. You’re reminded that you’re impacting young girls’ lives and futures.”
Coming together
It’s not just young girls and women that make Randall proud to be in the sporting community - it’s the tapestry of supporters that rally around the League. “Seeing men and young boys coming to games is the most powerful thing,” Randall said. “I can’t quite explain the right words for it… but for us as a community to become better, we have to come together. That includes all diverse people, whether that be gender, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, our Rainbow Community and all cultural backgrounds, coming together to support each other.
Community
“That’s what makes Australia great - when we’re able to celebrate exactly who we are, accept our differences and be inspired by them. Everyone’s got an amazing story and, if we can help to be one another’s voices, how great will we all become.”
Next generation
For AFL leadership group member Tom Doedee, seeing the AFLW grow and flourish had a huge impact on his perception of women’s sport and the men’s game. “It was interesting early on… for a lot of the boys they’d spent their whole career never thinking about women’s footy,” Doedee said. “My local club had a women’s team, but not a full league, so women’s footy just wasn’t something that crossed my mind. So it’s been incredible to see the way the AFLW has exploded and inspired girls who didn’t realise that footy could be an option. With all of our community camps, school visits and clinics we’re seeing so many more girls’ teams that we have the privilege of teaching. We’re seeing that shift from the idea that it’s a boys-only sport and that’s led largely by people like Chels (Randall), who’s inspiring a whole generation.”
Inspiration
The 25-year-old defender said he and the rest of the AFL side were constantly energised not only by the women’s on-field success but the side’s off-field connection and leadership. “The fact they consistently win - not only when they’ve won flags, but that they’ve always been around that level - is a level of motivation to match them with where they’re at,” Doedee said. "For our young (AFL) group, seeing that connection and how much they genuinely enjoy playing with each other is inspiring and impressive."
Leading by example
“(Chelsea is) tough as nails, well-respected within the team and within the league, leads by example and has incredible relationships with everyone at the Club," Doedee said. "I’ve taken a leaf out of her book and always make sure I’m checking in on blokes in my team to make sure you don’t miss out on someone who’s having a rough time. To consistently perform with the pressure on her shoulders of captaining the most successful AFLW team, with so many young girls and boys looking up to her, is inspiring and has impacted not just our leadership group, but our entire team.”
