Adelaide triple AFLW premiership Captain Chelsea Randall called time on her illustrious playing career on Monday.

Randall leaves the game after 80 games, three premierships, five All-Australian blazers and six Most Courageous Player Awards.

The 35-year-old spoke on her decision to hang up the boots in front of media, teammates, Crows AFL players, and Club staff, and touched on the following points.

The catalyst behind her decision

Randall’s decision to retire was made due to experiencing issues related to concussion. 

She had been in regular consultation with the Club doctor, independent specialists and the AFL, during pre-season.

“A few weeks ago, I joined in a tackle drill at training and experienced some starry vision after a couple of minor bumps, and then shortly after that I had another incident involving mild contact and more starry vision,” Randall said.

“It was at that point that it became clear that my brain and body could no longer withstand minor bumps without experiencing issues related to concussion. 

“After consultation with my club doctor, the AFL, and specialist, they formed a recommendation for me to retire with the new evidence of my recent experiences in training and the expert recommendations. 

“I have no choice but to make the safest decision for my health and for my family. So, it is with great sadness that I retire from football.”

What the Adelaide Football Club means to her

Randall was recognised as one of the country’s stars and joined the Crows as a marquee player ahead of the inaugural AFLW season after the Club lured her to Adelaide from WA.

She made an immediate impact on and off the field, becoming one of the most respected players in the competition.

Randall said the Club would hold a special place in her heart forever.

“I'm incredibly grateful to the Adelaide Footy Club for supporting me on and off the field for the past 10 seasons,” Randall said.

“The club has helped shape me into the person I am today, and when I first came to the club, it felt almost unbelievable that there would be an AFLW competition.

“To play for the Crows was an opportunity I still pinch myself about. I'm grateful for the friendships, the premierships, the games won, the games lost, and all those little moments in between. 

“I'm also so grateful to the AFLW competition as a whole, and proud to have played a part in its growth.”

On leaving a legacy 

When Randall started playing footy, there was no national league for women.

She was forced to play in boys’ teams for much of her junior years and never believed lining up in a national women’s league would ever be possible.

Now, 10 seasons later, Randall is leaving the game as a pioneer, a role model, and with a legacy that will live on forever, not just at the Crows, but across the competition.

“I still remember the head coach of that under-11s team coming over at my brother's half-time game, and he said, 'Oh,you can kick it, do you want to fill in for the boys team tomorrow?’ I asked Dad, I said, ‘Can I, Dad?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, you can. You have to ask your mum first’,” Randall said. 

“Mum said no straightaway, but then I managed to convince Mum, and the next day I pulled up my socks and tucked the Guernsey in, and Grandma and Grandpa were there supporting, and I didn't realise at the time, but women at the time probably weren't as welcomed onto the footy field, and I got laughed at.

“I think I had to have a lot of courage as a young girl to step out onto the field.

“When I moved to the footy club here in South Australia, I just wanted to bring that one to make sure that brought everyone along the journey with me, and that everyone felt like they belonged and included.”

Randall said she was proud of how far society had come with “accepting women playing on the big stage”.

“I'm so proud of seeing the amount of girls running around at a grassroots level, I'm proud that my son gets to grow up watching some incredible male role models, as well as some incredible female role models on TV, so he doesn't know any different,” Randall said.

“To me, that's the biggest part, is that our young kids now can grow up and see women and men sharing in the game and playing it just because they purely love it at the highest level.”

Favourite memories as a Crow

Across 10 seasons, Randall said she had made countless memories and friendships.

But the Crows’ three premierships (2017, 2019, and 2022), would always be her favourites. 

“I've got lots of fond memories playing, and you can’t go past our three premierships, and I've loved those for different reasons,” Randall said.

“In the very first one, in 2017, I think everyone thought we were going to win the wooden spoon.

“We had to obviously form a relationship with the Northern Territory, so eight of our teammates were living and training up in Darwin, the rest of the squad was down here in Adelaide, it was probably a recipe for disaster, so to be able to put a team together and bring everyone together and celebrate and win our first premiership was just surreal.

“In 2019, that premiership was incredible for different reasons, because we had 53,000 people at Adelaide Oval. South Australians love their footy, and it's just been a privilege to play in front of them here. I remember when the 53,000 popped up on the scoreboard, and I was on the bench for a rotation, and I jumped up out of my seat, and I just applauded the crowd.”

The third flag, won in 2022, came after a tough few years for Randall, making the final one even more special.

“After our third premiership, I remember Erin (Phillips) actually saying to me after we won that game, she was whispering in my ear, like, you're going to remember this one forever,” she said.

“I think that one was special because we'd spent so many years together as a team and forming those relationships was so special and to kind of prove to ourselves that it wasn't just luck we worked so hard on our culture we worked so hard on the training track and made so many sacrifices, to kind of come out.

“For me personally, one the first day of pre-season going into the 2020 season, I did my ACL, then we had the COVID season, I got back for the 2021 season, unfortunately had a concussion going and missed the grand final in 2021 which we lost, and then to kind of come out in 2022 and actually finish what we tried to start. 

“It was a couple of years for me of setbacks, and so the win in 2022 was pretty special as well.”

Randall’s message to her family, wife MJ, son Tomi, and her teammates

In the emotional press conference, Randall addressed her wife, MJ, their son Tomi, as well as her past and present teammates and coaches. 

“To all my family, and especially MJ and Tomi, thank you for your constant love and support,” Randall said. 

“All I ever wanted was to make you guys proud, and to leave the club and the competition in a better place than when I started.

“To my teammates, my coaches, and staff, both past and present, and the entire program here at the Football Club, we've truly had a lot of fun, and you are what makes footy the best game in the world. It truly brings me great pleasure to play the game, and it brings great people together. I truly believe that.

“To the players who continue on, be brave, be good humans, be grateful to this great game, and enjoy every moment. 

“I'm just going to miss the immense joy that I got playing alongside some of these girls, and I'm excited to watch their journeys unfold from afar.”