{"id":54826,"date":"2025-08-09T06:56:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T06:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/54826\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T06:56:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T06:56:09","slug":"womens-footy-star-pinpoints-the-challenge-aflw-players-have-that-gives-them-an-edge-over-the-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/54826\/","title":{"rendered":"Women’s footy star pinpoints the challenge AFLW players have that gives them an edge over the men"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reveals the career challenge AFLW players face that men rarely doSays that challenge actually gives the women a resilience men can never have\u00a0<\/p>\n

By JOSH ALSTON, SPORTS REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 02:32 EDT, 9 August 2025 | Updated: 02:32 EDT, 9 August 2025 <\/p>\n

The AFLW is heading into its 10th season this August, but while it has taken great strides, there is one key challenge women’s players face that men in the AFL<\/a> rarely do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sophie Conway is a key winger for the Lions, a former hockey player who transitioned to the AFLW in 2018 and was part of the 2021 premiership-winning squad.<\/p>\n

She said while the AFL has taken significant strides during that time, there was one key factor that only the women had to worry about.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Wanting to start a family and figuring that out,’ Conway told News Corp<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Given the AFLW season is much shorter than the men, it is a key point, with many champion players sacrificing time on the field to start families.<\/p>\n

Daisy Pearce missed the entire 2019 season after announcing her pregnancy with twins.\u00a0Sharni Webb sat out the 2021 AFLW season due to pregnancy.<\/p>\n

\"Brisbane <\/p>\n

Brisbane Lions winger Sophie Conway says family planning is a career factor AFLW players face that men rarely do<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Lions star believes balancing elite football and family proves the resilience of AFLW players<\/p>\n

Kate Lutkins was placed on the inactive list in 2023 due to pregnancy, briefly returned in 2024, and retired at the end of that season.<\/p>\n

Those are just some of the players that have been forced to balance their sporting career ands targeting a family, with Conway pointing out men don’t have that same issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I want to be playing this sport for as long as I can and you’ve got some people in the men’s system right now who are 37, 38, 39 and they don’t have to have a year or two off,’ she said.<\/p>\n

‘It’s not just in the AFL, it is across a lot of workplaces.’<\/p>\n

She says that factor shapes how many women think about their careers. It involves the physical challenge of pregnancy, recovery, and the planning needed to manage a season around it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the men’s competition, she points out, that consideration simply doesn’t exist in the same way.<\/p>\n

Conway has seen teammates take time out to have children and return to elite football. She believes that determination is part of what makes AFLW players unique.<\/p>\n

The league’s growth has helped highlight those stories. Crowds are up 52 per cent, TV audiences have passed seven million, and membership has risen from 4,000 to nearly 76,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Daisy <\/p>\n

Daisy Pearce was one big-name player that interupted their AFLW career to have children<\/p>\n

\"Kate <\/p>\n

Kate Lutkins left the AFLW to have her first child and tried to return, but ultimately retired<\/p>\n

Average player wages will rise to $82,000 by 2027, edging the AFLW closer to full professionalism.<\/p>\n

While pay parity is still distant, Conway says the improvement has been rapid.<\/p>\n

‘Our top player is on par with maybe someone who’s middle of the range in the men’s,’ she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘They’re still leaps and bounds in front of us, but in two years we have come an exceptionally long way.’<\/p>\n

From her 2018 debut to now, Conway has also watched the skill level rise dramatically.<\/p>\n

‘If you look at our team, we’ve got players who can kick anywhere between 40 and 50 metres,’ she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘And we play half the game time of the men.’<\/p>\n

Conway says those perceptions only motivate players to prove their worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She urges sceptics to watch in person: ‘From a skill and a fundamental point of view, we’re just as good – if not better.’<\/p>\n

The 2025 AFLW season begins on August 14 and runs until November 29.<\/p>\n

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