Ellie Blackburn is the perfect example of the changing face of Australian Rules football – as DAVID NAGEL explains.
STARTING out as a cute and naive kid in the Beaconsfield Under 9s, Ellie Blackburn has emerged as a key figure in the burgeoning world of women’s football.
Blackburn and 15 other pioneers of the women’s game became the face of the code last week when they were named marquee players for the inaugural AFL National Women’s League.
Eight clubs, Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Greater Western Sydney, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs, have been granted licences to compete in 2017 – with each club allowed two marquee signings.
The 21-year-old from Endeavour Hills joins Katie Brennan as the historic first two signings for the Western Bulldogs.
Blackburn said the talk of a national league was one thing but the reality was becoming apparent.
“It’s starting to sink in now,” she said.
“Just before the official announcement all of us girls were in a separate room to the media and it was just an amazing experience to be sitting around and reflecting on where we’ve come from.
“At the Melbourne-Bulldogs exhibition match in 2013 the word was that we would have a national league up and running by 2020 – we’re three years ahead of schedule.”
Blackburn has already created history in the women’s game, becoming the first goal-scorer in that inaugural exhibition match at the MCG between the Demons and Bulldogs.
But it’s a highlight that has company, with Blackburn having a CV that would be the envy of most footballers around the nation.
Multiple Victorian representations have led to All-Australian selection at both senior and youth girls level, while she has been part of the Melbourne exhibition squad since its inception four years ago.
Not bad for a kid that only took up the game by chance.
“Dad played at Beaconsfield, and still plays Superules, and a friend of his was coach of the under-9s back then,” Blackburn said.
“I filled in one day, really enjoyed the experience, fell in love with the game and haven’t stopped playing ever since.”
The accolades flowed from early in her career, winning club and league best and fairests against the boys, being the leading goal-kicker for her club, and captaining the Victorian School Sports Under 16s team to the National title.
So has she had time to reflect on where it all started?
“Yeah, I have a little bit,” she said.
“I was sitting at home the other day and had time to sit back and relax and just have a think about what has happened, and where it all started.
“It’s exciting, a dream come true and I would never have imagined that things would have played out this way.
“It’s a childhood dream and now the dream’s a reality.”
Ellie said with her family still living in Endeavour Hills there was no shortage of local support coming her way.
“I still have a lot of support from the players and coaches who were involved in those early days and I hold that support very close to me,” she said.
“Those are the people that have supported me all the way through, far and wide, and have made the journey so enjoyable.”
She said she is still coming to grips with her ascension through the ranks, which brings with it a leadership role and an almost hero worship from the younger girls in the game.
“It’s hard to imagine myself that way,” she said.
“I was just a kid who loves football, but now girls come up to me and say ‘I really look up to you and want to follow in your footsteps’ and that’s a feeling that’s hard to explain. It’s a really special feeling and one that I’m keen to embrace.”
Blackburn said her signing was still very new so she knew little of the commitment levels that the new National Women’s League would require.
“It’s still sort of unknown. I’ll still be working but may have to drop some hours, but that’s the sacrifice that some of the girls will have to make to start with.
“It’s got to the point where some of us have to choose between sports, so the commitment levels are growing.
“But it’s a fun sort of sacrifice because it feels really special to be part of something new.”
Blackburn said she and Brennan had already had brief discussions about the importance of leadership around the club.
She said they had also spoken about setting the bar high for the players that would eventually be their team-mates.
“Katie and I have spoken about it a little bit and the main thing we want is to create a club culture that players want to be a part of,” she said.
“That’s the most important thing, to build that culture which builds a platform for everything around it.
“And the development of the players that haven’t been exposed to the highest level is going to be really important, and the girls that have been exposed to it will need to play a role.
“We all want to be proud of the competition and try and make it a good product to be associated with.”
Blackburn said she had experienced her detractors along the way and expected more of the same as this new journey begins.
The obvious comparison between the standard of men’s and women’s football is always going to be a talking point, but Ellie is not concerned in the slightest.
“There are people out there that will always try and bring you down, and that happens with anything you do in life,” she said.
“But you think back to where we started and we’ve already come along way – and I can’t wait to be part of an exciting future.”
Well played, Ellie – and may there be many more kicks to come.
