28 Apr, 2017

Women’s Crows Team to be honoured with Premiership rings and Key to the City

Joint Media Release

Sports Minister Leon Bignell is delighted to present the inaugural AFLW Crows Team finals players with Premiership rings, at a Town Hall reception, this evening.

Minister Bignell said the Crows Women’s Team is an inspiration and the rings are a great symbol of their outstanding success.

The Minister will be joined by Assistant Minister to the Premier Katrine Hildyard and AFL General Manager Football Operations Simon Lethlean to present the rings, which have been specially commissioned by the AFL.

Lord Mayor Martin Haese will hand the Team the Key to the City of Adelaide – the highest honour the City of Adelaide can bestow.

Background

On Saturday 25 March, South Australia’s Crows AFL Women’s team made history in their six-point victory over the Brisbane Lions on the Gold Coast.

The inaugural season of the women’s competition was played for eight weeks in February and March 2017 and the Crows were led by senior coach Ms Bec Goddard and co-captains Chelsea Randall and Erin Phillips.

Quotes Attributable to Minister for Sport and Recreation, Leon Bignell

I’m delighted to present our inaugural Crow’s Women’s Team with the AFL rings and to personally congratulate each player for their brilliant effort.

The team’s Premiership win was a true inspiration and I hope it encourages many more young girls or women out there with dreams of playing AFL, to give the sport a go.

Our Crows team deserves the highest recognition for their history-making achievement and I would like to see them further honoured in the future, at Adelaide Oval.

The State Government is committed to supporting and encouraging women’s participation in sport – through the Women in Sport Taskforce and through initiatives like the $10 million allocated to the Female Facilities Program over three years, which is seeing change rooms for women built for the first time at sporting grounds around the State.

Quotes Attributable to Assistant Minister to the Premier, Katrine Hildyard

The incredible achievement of our Adelaide Crows Women’s Team has showcased local female talent, has given football fans more footy than ever to enjoy and has inspired girls and women to follow their highest sporting dreams.

I am thrilled to congratulate the team on their achievement and to help present the Premiership rings to these inaugural Premiership winners, who are excellent role models for girls and boys starting their football journey.

I also recognise the AFL for giving women the opportunity to participate at the highest level of football and pay tribute to the SANFL, SAWFL and local clubs for their work to include girls and women in footy at a local level. We still have a way to go to achieve gender equality in sport, but the success of the Crows and the growing support for them and coverage of their games, is a giant step forward.

Quotes Attributable to City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese

It is our great honour to host the Adelaide Crows Women’s team at Town Hall as we celebrate a truly remarkable achievement and a team that the community has embraced.

This is a very special group of women who really are the pride of South Australia, and it is a great honour to award the team with the Key to the City.

The Key to the City is restricted to individuals and groups who have achieved excellence in their field of endeavour or where they have made a significant contribution to the city generally. This team has certainly done so with the stirring inaugural AFLW Grand Final victory in March and inspirational performances throughout the season.

The historic premiership victory was an especially proud moment for the City of Adelaide with one of Council’s very own employees, Justine Mules, being a key member of the team.

Matt Halliwell