AFLW’s Sabrina Frederick on Overcoming Injuries and Footy’s Gender Gap

When Sabrina Frederick was seven-years-old, her family packed up their lives in Brighton, England and made the long trip to Western Australia. In the schoolyard, not knowing anyone, Sabrina spotted kids kicking around an oval-shaped ball. Eager to make friends, she joined in.

“I fell in love with the game the moment I first started playing,” she tells VICE, describing the moment. “I learnt the rules as I played and genuinely felt it was meant to be. The physicality, the pace and the camaraderie – I loved everything about it.”

Australian Rules Football in its various forms dates as far back as the 1850s, with the first intercolonial matches taking place in 1879 – when it was then known as Melbourne Rules Football. 

Up until 2016, AFL only had a men’s professional competition. But the advent of the AFLW has seen a new generation of female players with a pathway to professional life. 

But there’s a long road ahead. We caught up with Sabrina to find out more about her love of the game, life outside of football, and what can be done to even the playing field.

VICE: Hey Sabrina, What was the “lightbulb” moment where you knew you had to pursue AFL? 

Sabrina: I would say the last year of high school I heard rumblings of the AFL wanting to invest in a women’s professional league, it was a pivotal time for me when I was making decisions for my life moving forward, but for some reason, in my gut, I knew that was something I wanted to be a part of and needed to pursue. 

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career? What did you learn from overcoming those moments?

I think the biggest challenge for myself would’ve been the past season, having the season dates change last minute going back-to-back with it aligning two days before my wife and I were expecting our daughter to be born. Having to navigate parenting for the first time whilst dealing with the demands of that environment was difficult, not to mention getting injured two days after her birth. I learnt in those moments to really be present and focus on what matters and what I could control, not get caught up in external perception or noise and just focus on the internal things.

Can you tell us a little more about what it’s like overcoming injury as a professional footballer? And how do you stay on top of your mental health while in recovery mode?

It's always tough when going through rehab for injury and sometimes it can be a little isolating, being removed from the main training squad, and just focusing on the day-to-day little wins. In terms of staying on top of your mental health, it's just about setting little goals to strive towards, surrounding yourself with people who give good energy, and just challenging yourself in other ways that aren’t necessarily physical.

Is there a difference in the level of care between the AFL and AFLW when it comes to injury?

I think the major difference is just the amount of contact time you get with the trainers in AFLW because of the part-time hours. However, I will say at Collingwood our medical and strength and conditioning teams are incredible and go above and beyond for our people, they really do care and I believe that isn't the case with all AFLW clubs.

You recently appeared on The Unlaced Podcast and spoke about how women in AFL don’t have the same time to put into their craft as men, yet are expected to perform at the same level. Can you expand on how that kind of expectation weighs on women in the game? What do you think needs to change structurally in order for this to balance out?

Our semi-professional league has only been around for six years, yet we are expected to be at the level of a competition that has run for over 150 years. I think to move closer to being more professional, we’d need to have more time training, better resources and facilities – these things come with time.

I see the next generation of players coming through to be drafted and I am incredibly proud of the skill level that has been formed from these young girls having a pathway and opportunity to put more energy into their skills and professionalism.

How do you think the national conversation and attitude towards women in professional sports has shifted over the years? Where do you still think it needs to go?

It’s definitely improved, and I would say the last two years alone have seen incredible growth, I think social media has played a huge part in that. I think getting women’s sport to a point where these incredible athletes are paid and supported fairly for what effort and time is put into it is where we can do better.

Do you feel that male professional AFL players are understanding and supportive of the inequality women face in the game?

I think the majority really do get it and want what’s best for us and the game. I mean, I know personally, players who have daughters of their own and feel the competition could be something in their children’s future, so they are thinking about it a lot more than probably five years ago.

You’ve dipped your toes in the reality TV waters with SAS. With AFLW, you’ve experienced both media and fan attention, but was there anything you learnt from being on an even bigger national stage?

I probably realised that reality TV is a different ball game (ha). Although I don’t see SAS as a reality show when it’s structured in a completely different way. I think the bigger adjustment was being seen as more than just someone who kicks a ball but also knowing there is a lot more I am capable of than just that.

What’s your advice to young women and gender-diverse people wanting to pursue sports professionally? 

If I could say anything, it would just be to try and focus on the internal not external. It’s OK to be misunderstood as long as you are OK with the person you see in the mirror – that’s number one. When you get thrown into this environment there is so much noise – good and bad – so you just have to focus on what’s real.

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