Doin’ It for Themselves! A Case Study of the Development of a Women's Australian Rules Football Competition

Abstract

Women have wanted to play Australian Rules football throughout the game's history, yet given it ritually celebrates male superiority, few have actually played the game. This paper looks at the socio-historical circumstances leading to the eventual establishment of a women's league, based on media coverage and interviews with current and former members. By focusing on their association with two men's football organizations – one that helped them get started, and the other that allowed them to use their men's clubs as home bases for their women's teams – it also explores the extent to which playing a male-dominated game means having to play on male-defined terms.