Latest news with #DaisyPearce
Perth Now
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
AFLW legends all the rage at historic all-girls carnival
A game of footy head-to-head with AFLW legends Daisy Pearce and Kiara Bowers. For hundreds of Perth girls, this dream came true on Sunday. West Coast coach Pearce and Dockers legend Bowers were among a host of women's footballs stars that joined in on the historic All-Girls Auskick Gala in Nollamara. The event hosted around 450 players, aged between five and 12 from 40 different clubs across Perth at Des Penman Reserve in Nollamara. It was a first-hand display of the rise and rise of the women's game in Western Australia. Dockers coach Lisa Webb and the Eagles' all-time games record-holder Belinda Smith both also joined in, along with representatives from WAFLW clubs. Mt Hawthorn Junior Football Club female football coordinator Anastasia Little said it was 'an absolutely phenomenal' day. Ocean Ridge girls celebrate a win with the team song. Credit: Kelsey Reid / The West Australian And it wasn't all about football. The girls brought some party tricks to the table in front of their heroes. 'The girls just had an absolute blast,' Ms Little said. 'Seeing cartwheels and handstands and all the things that girls love to do to celebrate in their own way, was actually really, really cute.' Little said the attendance of some greats of the game, including Melbourne premiership captain and women's footy trailblazer Pearce, would inspire the young girls, who can look up to those players as role models. Pearce posed for photos and joined in on mini-games with the girls. Daisy Pearce with Willow Hood-Pebb, 6, and Charlotte Tran, 6 of Ocean Ridge. Credit: Kelsey Reid / The West Australian 'It's for these girls to see who they can be if they continue on and play footy in their footy journey and what's possible for them,' she said. WA Football's Women & Girls Community Football Manager Lisa Steane described the event as a landmark occasion for football in the state. 'This is a landmark moment for footy in WA. It's the first event of its kind in the country, and it's amazing to see so many clubs come together to celebrate the power of girls in our game,' she said. Daisy Pearce gets taken down by an Ocean Ridge player. Credit: Kelsey Reid / The West Australian 'The turnout shows just how much demand there is for girls-only footy experiences. It's not just about participation – it's about developing a genuine, long-lasting love for the game. 'That kind of connection starts with positive, inclusive, high-quality experiences like this, where girls feel supported, engaged and excited to come back each week. Hundreds of young Auskickers turned out from around Perth to play round robin games on Sunday morning. Credit: Kelsey Reid / The West Australian 'We know that when young girls see female coaches, female players, and female role models front and centre, they feel like they belong – and that's what this event is all about. 'We're seeing huge momentum in the women and girls' space, and events like this reflect how committed we are to building a pathway that starts strong at the grassroots level.'
Perth Now
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
AFLW coaches involved in first all girls Auskick gala day
It will be a historic occasion for female football in WA on Sunday with the first All Girls Auskick Gala Day. Des Penman Reserve in Nollamara will host the first event of its kind in any state in what's a milestone moment for female participation. More than 40 clubs and 430 players aged 5 to 12 from across the metropolitan area are taking part, bringing together hundreds of budding girls footballers for a fun, inclusive footy experience. All WAFL zones will have community football club representation from their district attending. Your local paper, whenever you want it. The event is a reflection of the growing demand for girls-only football options at the Auskick level and showcases the AFL's commitment to growing the women and girls' pathway, starting from grassroots. Both Fremantle and West Coast's AFLW sides will have players attending as well as head coaches Lisa Webb and Daisy Pearce, a recently announced Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee and pioneer of women's football. The event is happening from 9am to noon.
West Australian
11-06-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
West Coast Eagles coach and Hall of Famer Daisy Pearce on mentoring next generation of AFLW stars
The West Australian exclusive West Coast Eagles coach and Hall of Famer Daisy Pearce on mentoring next generation of AFLW stars
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Phillips and Pearce's Hall of Fame induction reflects the long fight for women to play footy
There's a poetic tilt to the year that the AFLW will enter its 10th season, as its first former players are inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. The wider footballing community may have started to take note of the names Erin Phillips and Daisy Pearce when the women's elite competition erupted onto the scene in 2017, but the roots of their impact go far deeper and extend a lot further back than from that first ball up between Collingwood and Carlton at Princes Park. As AFLW analyst and commentator Gemma Bastiani pointed out, Pearce and Phillips represent two very different, but equally worthy versions of women in footy pre-AFLW. "Erin pursued other sports after being told no, Daisy raised the standard of the then-VWFL to force the AFL's hand," Bastiani wrote on X. The timing of the AFLW's introduction being brought forward to 2017 from 2020 meant that Pearce and Phillips got to play at the top level, but its delayed start meant we never really got to see them in their prime. After being forced away from football age 13, Phillips turned to basketball. There, she made herself known on the international stage, becoming a two-time WNBA champion, world champion, Commonwealth gold medallist and Olympic silver medallist. When the whispers came that the AFLW may be forming, she made the courageous choice to follow her first calling. She packed up her family in the US and moved back to Australia for the competition's first iteration in 2017. Externally, she brought gravitas, excitement and, importantly, eyeballs to the competition. Internally leadership and belief in what they were building. She left the game as the most decorated elite women's football player to date: a three-time premiership player, two-time league best and fairest, three-time All Australian, two-time grand final best on ground and two-time club champion. Pearce, on the other hand, carried the weight of being the face of the newly formed AFLW. In 2013, when women's football pioneers were pushing for a professional competition, Pearce was taken by Melbourne with the first pick in the inaugural national women's draft for the first women's exhibition game. She then became a marquee signing for Melbourne and entered the competition a 10-time VWFL/VFLW premiership player with Darebin, where she was captain between 2008 and 2016. In her Hall of Fame speech, Pearce said she carried a weight in those early days of feeling like they had to put on a good spectacle, kick enough goals, gaining enough attention, as the future of women's footy was riding on their shoulders. Pearce ended her speech honouring the ones that came before her, the pioneers who never got to play at the top level. The likes of Debbie Lee, Peta Searle and Jan Cooper. Highlighted in both stories on the night was that they used to run around with the boys as kids, as there were no girl teams for them to play in growing up. "I never wanted to be a boy," Phillips said in her speech. "I just wanted the opportunities that boys had, and that was footy." This is a common story within the first generation of AFLW players, who came from all corners across the country to fight for the right to play and grow the game they love, in the face of fierce adversity and constant pushback. Without those trailblazers, spearhead by Phillips and Pearce, we would not have a 10th season to enter into this year. Now, almost 600,000 women and girls participate in Australian Rules footy across the country.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Fans slam the AFL for naming the first women to the league's Hall of Fame - but NOT because of their gender
Footy fans have lashed out at the AFL after Erin Phillips and Daisy Pearce became the first women to be named to the league's Hall of Fame - but their complaints are all about the timing of the honour, not the stars' gender. Phillips - who won three AFLW premierships and three All-Australian nods in her time with the Crows and Power - provided the highlight of Tuesday night's ceremony with an emotional acceptance speech. Pearce - who now works for Channel Seven in addition to coaching West Coast's women's side - won an AFLW premiership and became a three-time All Australian with the Melbourne Demons. Fans voiced their shock at their induction as Pearce only retired from playing in 2022, with Phillips doing the same in 2023. The AFL's guidelines on the Hall of Fame state that 'players are only eligible after they have been retired from the game for at least five years'. However, an exception was made for AFLW players in June last year that makes them eligible after just one year in retirement. Footy supporters couldn't deny Daisy Pearce (pictured) is a giant of the women's game - but had issues with the fact she was inducted after only retiring as a player in 2022 Some fans went online to slam the AFL when Phillips and Pearce's inductions were made official. 'I would never deny her impact on the women's game, but hasn't she been retired for 5 minutes? It took Gary Ablet Sr 8 years to be inducted, Erin less than 2 years? Over 1000 goals vs 50. 250 games vs 50 odd?' one wrote. 'Congrats to her on her induction. But didn't she only retire last year & isn't the criteria 5 years retired?' another added, referring to Phillips. 'Well I expect Dusty to be in next year and made a legend the year after if this is how quick it's going to be inducted,' wrote a third, referring to Richmond great Dustin Martin, who retired last season. 'Someone correct me if I'm wrong but… aint the whole AFLW too early for hall of famers?' another commenter said. '66 games makes you a first ballot HOF'er? Have a look at the players from the 80s and 90s who have played 300+ games, multiple premierships and other accolades, and they will probably never get a guernsey,' one fan said, referring to Phillips. 'Let the league develop more... it started in 2017 and there's already people getting into a HOF? Relax and bit and pull the hand brake up,' another wrote. Some reactions to Pearce's honour questioned why she was being inducted given she is still employed in the game as Eagles coach, with comments like, 'Genuine question, is an active head coach allowed to be inducted?' Other fans questioned whether Pearce and Phillips met the criteria for making the Hall of Fame - which they both did courtesy of a change to the rules in June last year Phillips (pictured at Tuesday night's Hall of Fame ceremony) is the most honoured player in women's footy history However, Simon Goodwin was inducted as a player in 2017, when he was coaching the Melbourne Demons, and Sam Mitchell was inducted in 2023 when he had already started coaching Hawthorn. Phillips' father Greg is a Port Adelaide legend and her words to him during her speech were a high point of the ceremony. 'To Dad, I can't imagine how hard it would have been to tell your 13-year-old daughter that she couldn't play the game she loves anymore,' she said, her voice breaking. 'And 27 years later, she's standing next to you in the Hall of Fame.' In her speech, Phillips also thanked the 'incredible women' who made the AFLW possible and singled out trailblazer Debbie Lee. 'You kicked down this door so others could walk through,' she said. 'I'm so proud to be by your side and I can't wait to kick down more doors with you Deb.' Pearce's last AFLW game was the Melbourne 2022 grand final victory and she called it the best day of her life, even though her twin children Sylvie and Roy were in the room, hamming it up for the TV cameras. 'It's controversial to say this, as a mother ... don't get me wrong, they're the best thing that's ever happened to me, but on a technicality, the day itself is not that good,' she said. 'Give me grand final day every day of the week.' Phillips was Adelaide's inaugural captain and the first women's best and fairest winner, playing in three Crows flags despite needing a knee reconstruction. She then switched to Port Adelaide when they joined the league in 2022. When the women's league started in 2017, marquee players such as Pearce and Phillips were crucial for its profile and credibility.
