Jess Smith (Perth Broncos), Allisen Longwood (Swan City Titans), Rhyanna Edbrooke (Perth Blitz), Angela Evans (Curtin Saints) and April-Maria McCarrey (West Coast Wolverines).
Camera IconJess Smith (Perth Broncos), Allisen Longwood (Swan City Titans), Rhyanna Edbrooke (Perth Blitz), Angela Evans (Curtin Saints) and April-Maria McCarrey (West Coast Wolverines). Credit: Supplied/Angelo Di Carlo

Women’s gridiron league touches down in WA with Doubleview resident at the helm

Kate LeaverStirling Times

DOUBLEVIEW resident Kellie Hopkins will make history as the first WA Women’s Gridiron League director, with five teams set to kick off the season in October.

Originally a footy player, Hopkins was appointed as the women’s league director in April after moving to WA from Queensland for work.

“I got in touch with some clubs over here and they didn’t have a women’s league which is something the Gridiron West board was keen to set up,” she said.

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“It is just that next level sport; it’s got a different feel to it, you get to wear all the gear and run around and look like NFL players. That is the biggest driver for me; that is really fun.

“I love the contact, it is so full on; it doesn’t matter where you are on the field with gridiron, you are involved in the play.”

With the AFL Women’s League in the spotlight, Hopkins said there was huge demand in WA for the opportunity to get involved in women’s gridiron.

“We’ve already started season training and it is looking really promising so far; we are running in the same season as the men’s league and playing on the same weekends,” she said.

“There’s such a diverse mixture in the teams, we’ve got girls who’ve played no contact sport before and a few with rugby and AFL backgrounds.

“We are bringing that all together into this one amazing sport.

“I’d encourage people to come down to training and see how fun this sport can be.”

This year the Australian women’s gridiron team competed at the International Federation of American Football Women’s World Championship for the first time.

For Hopkins, it serves as a reminder there are places to go to the next level in the sport.

“A couple of Queensland players have gone over and played in USA with one of the American sides and there have been some go to Europe,” she said.

“Next year we are hoping to put a WA side in the national tournament that will be (playing) Queensland and NSW; there are definitely avenues for girls to progress in the sport.

“Unfortunately we’re probably not going to get paid but at this stage it is just getting our teams going is really positive.”

Visit www.facebook.com/gwwomensleague for more.

THE TEAMS Perth Broncos Curtin Saints Perth Blitz West Coast Wolverines Swan City Titans

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