‘WE WON’T LET THIS SUN SET’
“WHEN you ask the girls to give up their lives for $1.50 basically and they produce at that level, that’s what I get excited for.”
Speaking moments after his side claimed a historic first AFLW win against Richmond, Suns coach David Lake shot at the heart of the inequity between male and female competitions.
A current tier-four AFLW player gets paid $16,263 a year ($312 a week) – compared to a $75,000 base wage for rookies in the AFL.
It’s expected to compensate for a maximum of 117 hours of pre-season training, a maximum of 10 hours training a week in-season, plus games, plus travel to games, plus appearances, plus any extra time they spend honing their craft.
It would be remiss not to mention that the league is only in its fourth year, but in a world where pay equality is slowly becoming a reality, it’s tough to see so many
players balancing the rigours of a professional sporting career with their own equally challenging and demanding vocations.
Britt Perry, Ellie Hampson, Jordann Hickey, and Jacqui Yorston balance distinguished and varied careers with the pursuit of AFLW. And predictably, it’s a huge ask.
THE TEACHER
BRITT Perry is one of four teachers on the Suns’ list.
While she is currently jumping through some final hoops to ensure she has the right qualifications to switch her teaching career from South Australia to Queensland, the 25-year-old said her profession was generally very adaptable to the requirements of AFLW.
“I had a really great school that I worked at where I was able to work around my schedule and the changing schedule I needed to have,” she said. “It does take a lot out of you.
“It’s tough but it’s important and I wouldn’t be able to stay here if I didn’t have a job so it’s something you’ve got to do.”
This year with the Suns marks the second time Perry has uprooted her life for an AFLW
career. Originally drafted from North Adelaide, Perry played four games for Greater Western Sydney last year before being delisted.
The small forward said the cost of relocating weighed heavily on her finances but it was a necessary sacrifice to chase a dream.
“It’s really tough (to survive),” she said. “I learned last year the hard way but this year I tried to be more prepared.
“I knew I had to come in with some savings so I worked really hard in the off-season to build up savings so when I got here, I didn’t have to jump into anything.
“We’re living out our dreams. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The AFLW collective bargaining agreement stipulates that players must spend no longer than 10 hours at the club each week, though many spend additional time and resources perfecting their craft, which they aren’t financially compensated for.
“If we could be here for longer and training more hours, we’d be able to improve even more so that’s the hard part,” Perry said.
“The Suns offer us so much … that we’d be silly not to take time out of our days and try to improve as footballers.”
THE STUDENT
ELLIE Hampson moved from Townsville to pursue her AFLW dream.
The 19-year-old initially started working at a local cafe, only for it to close down within days of Hampson suffering a serious ankle injury in the pre-season.
“Knowing how much rehab I knew I had to do to get back, I didn’t look to pick up any extra work because I wanted to being an athlete and getting back as soon as I could,” she said.
The brief period she spent balancing both pursuits allowed Hampson to understand the tests her peers face.
“It’s doable but it definitely makes you appreciate the time you do spend at the club,” she said. “You really hope that one day it does turn into a fulltime gig for myself and future generations because it is tough.
“You see people come into training tired because they’re working full-time jobs.”
On Monday Hampson began a full-time teaching degree at Griffith University in tandem with fellow Sun Taylor Smith.
The pursuit of a post-footy career prompted Hampson to move in with a host family, which has eased the financial stress. “I thought it was something I needed for my mental health as well as my financial state,” she said.
THE CONCIERGE
JORDANN Hickey has had to fast-track her introduction to the Gold Coast.
As the first player from Central Australia to crack an AFLW list, Hickey underwent the ultimate sea change.
Accor Hotels acts as one of
the AFLW’s official partners and put the call out to players searching for employment.
Hickey applied and landed a role as a concierge at the Novotel in Surfers Paradise.
“That’s really helped me get to know the Gold Coast a lot better because I have tourists asking me questions so I’ve had to do a bit of reading so I know what I’m talking about,” she said.
“It’s funny that’s my job at the moment being quite new to the Coast.”
The 25-year-old said her job provides the flexibility she needs to live out her dream, though it is at times hard to find time for everything.
“It is quite difficult when you’re trying to fit in all of your recovery and review,” she said. “I’m standing all day so it is quite taxing on the body.
“They’re very supportive and always wish me luck before a game and are understanding if I do have to miss a shift due to footy.”
THE SUNS EMPLOYEE
WHEN Jacqui Yorston arrives at work every morning, she heads to the locker room and drops off her kit bag. The 19year-old works in the partnerships section at the club and constantly basks in the glory of how convenient her worklife balance is.
“My boss is very understanding if I’ve got to go for a massage at 2pm,” she said.
“Leah (Kaslar, Suns captain) has to come from different places each day and the teachers come in after dealing with kids all day so I’m unbelievably lucky with my job.”
Going on eight months in the role, Yorston spends her days catering to the needs of the Suns’ AFL and AFLW partners.
And despite balancing both careers out of Carrara’s Austworld Centre, Yorston said the role surprisingly provided a welcome relief from football.
“I don’t have that much to do with footy,” she said. “As much as all our sponsors love talking footy, my day-to-day role doesn’t have much to do with the game itself.”
Having just moved in with partner and Titans NRL player Tanah Boyd, Yorston said splitting rent and the cost of food was manageable.