Double Standards
I grew up playing football in the backyard with my older cousins feeling just like one of the boys, where the size of my kick mattered rather than the size of my body. As I got older and continued playing footy, a heavily male-dominated sport at the time. I soon realised that the size of my body actually might matter – to other people, at least.
I first started playing footy at Beaconsfield Football Club in Under 11s where I was the only girl playing in a team full of boys. I noticed from a young age that the boys I played against were always too scared to tackle me – I’m not sure if it was because I was a girl or because I was small.
“Just feed her cheeseburgers to fatten her up.”
Throughout junior football Dad coached my local footy team, often receiving comments about me like “give her the Macca’s award every week” or “just feed her cheeseburgers to fatten her up”. While being a small player didn't feel like a personal weakness to me, the comments that people made regarding my size greatly hindered my confidence. It felt like others viewed my size as a weakness on the footy field, so I pushed myself harder as a player to prove them wrong.
In 2014, I played in the national carnival in Canberra, playing for VIC Metro at 14 years old. Naturally, I was the smallest player on the field, playing against the likes of Sabrina Frederick and Tayla Harris. As most of these players were around 17-18 years old, they were more accomplished, experienced and taller than me. Personally, this was a truly intimidating and daunting experience at such a young age. Although the experience itself was overwhelming, I found myself to be more nervous about my size playing against the bigger girls, rather than the level of football I was playing.
The following year in 2015, I was again invited to the VIC Metro try-outs. I have vivid memories of travelling to the first session with my Dad and bursting into tears on the way there. Mum and Dad were the ones who always pushed me to compete in representative squads. Others would focus on my small size, and question whether I was too small to be playing elite level football. But my parents could always see my potential. My parents had put so much time into my football, I was upset because I felt an innate sense of pressure of not wanting to let them down.
The overwhelming experience from the previous year occupied my mind and I felt I was too small to compete at such a high level. The enjoyment I once received from the game was lost, along with my confidence. After discussions with Mum and Dad and their full support, I decided to take the year off state football and revert to my local team, in hopes that my confidence and love for the game may soon return. That same year I focused extremely hard on my tackling and defensive skills, which soon benefited my overall game.
When 2016 came around I had grown in more ways than one – I had grown a bit in height, as well as confidence. For the next two years, I continued to play state football for VIC Metro/Country. My newfound inner belief was supported by my good mates Maddy Prespakis and Tyla Hanks, who were always amazing footballers and shorter in stature. I enjoyed playing with these girls and felt really comfortable around them as they affirmed my football ability and gave me a sense of belonging.
Before the 2017 draft, after the national carnival, Damien Keeping approached me after one of my local football games. He spoke to Dad and I and said that Carlton was considering me for their first pick, which completely changed my perception on getting drafted. Prior to that I hadn’t really thought about playing for an AFLW club as I didn't think I would have much of a chance because of my size. In the lead up to the draft combine, Damien and Carlton’s List Manager came to my house and confirmed that they were going to take me as their first pick. Collingwood also showed interest in drafting me, which filled me with loads of confidence and made me feel more secure that two big AFLW clubs were keen on drafting me.
“I respect being judged purely on how I play football, but feel like my weight is a private topic.”
After being drafted, “small in stature” was a common term that I began to hear, especially in the media. Although I acknowledge being light in weight is going to create dialogue in regard to my build, I would rather be judged on my football ability. Last year, the AFLW Instagram page chose fan questions to be answered by some of my teammates, one of which being “has Georgia Gee found the gym yet?”. I was stunned that the media team would choose such a question to be answered and became frustrated and disheartened at the comment itself. The irony in the comment is that I have been told by one of my Strength and Conditioning Coaches, Mitch Greaves, that I am one of the strongest players pound for pound at the club. I respect being judged purely on how I play football, and feel like my weight is a private topic (as it is for everyone else) that shouldn't be constantly spoken about in the media.
The double standards in regard to build and weight have become evident to me throughout my years of playing football. Imagine the controversies if a commentator were to mention a player being overweight – it would be headline news. Sometimes I feel like people are surprised or have a preconceived idea that a player my size shouldn’t be able to do certain things on the field.
As a child my older sister Meg suffered from a kidney disease called Nephrotic Syndrome, where the only known treatment was steroids. Due to a high dosage over a long period of time, the steroids severely stunted her growth. She is now 26 years old and still receives comments regarding how small she is, and is met with surprise when people find out her age. Meg shares the same frustration as me, and we have spoken in depth about how such comments feel like body shaming. Although people may have good intentions, the ‘friendly banter’ we have both received regarding our stature can become irritating. Comments from customers, teammates, friends and family start to sound like a broken record, where the jokes aren’t funny anymore. This irritation comes from a history of low self-esteem, where the main focus continues to be on our size rather than our personality, achievements or abilities.
“There are many other [similar] players in the league that don’t receive the same media attention regarding their size and stature.”
Dad has been one of my most influential supporters and has always told me to let my footy do the talking. He taught me to play to my strengths, working hard on my forward pressure and second and third efforts. We both grew up as Hawthorn supporters and I idolised Cyril Rioli, who based his game on these traits. As an AFLW player, I've always looked up to players like Alicia Eva as we have similarities in our physique. There are many other players in the league that don’t receive the same media attention regarding their size and stature, which I have found to be odd and confusing given the focus on mine.
One of the first messages I received after being drafted was from a young Shelley Heath who said, “You have given me so much hope that smaller women can get drafted”. The following year she was drafted by Melbourne FC. It was humbling to know I was an inspiration for her. My size is part of my identity as a footballer, which I've grown to be proud of and I hope to be a role model for younger, smaller players with dreams of one day playing in the AFLW.
