Quickkick punt pays off for Afl-mad mum
ALERA Heyward had no opportunities to pull on the boots growing up, despite being a footy fanatic.
Driven by her passion for the game and wanting to set an example to her three daughters, the Gold Coast mum finally took the step of joining a club in her mid-30s.
Now playing competitively, she is helping other women to take the same leap of faith in her role as the Queensland coordinator of Quickkick, an AFL initiative equipping women over the age of 35 with basic footy skills.
It’s earned her a nomination for a Gold Coast Bulletin Woman of the Year award, in the Champions of Sport category.
“When the AFL advertised the job for Quickkick it was a no-brainer – footy for me is such a great way to get out and do something that doesn’t involve the kids,” Ms Heyward laughed.
“It’s about getting women out of their comfort zones because there are a lot of us oldies who wouldn’t be comfortable rocking up to a footy club.”
Ms Heyward admits she “lives and breathes” the sport, juggling fortnightly QuickKick clinics on Sunday afternoons, competing at a senior level and coaching her daughters’ under-9 team, all while supporting another daughter’s journey through the Gold Coast Suns Academy.
She said moving to the area from Tasmania provided her family with an abundance of options to get involved more deeply in the sport.
“Footy on the Coast is moving so much more quickly than in Tassie,” she said.
“There’s so much in the city here that Tassie can’t offer us. Down there it’s more about who knows who, as opposed to people coming in and proving they can actually do it.
“I could never have gone this far with footy in Tassie.”
Ms Heyward’s work with Quickkick has yielded impressive results, with two women from her sessions now playing seniors footy alongside her.
Things are in motion to start a competition of teams formed from other clinics.
“Some women just want to have a kick and learn how to handball, but others are keen to play competitively.
“Ultimately, we get participants ready to play a game, starting with all the basics and eventually working up to match simulations.”
While some women go on to play competitively, Ms Heyward said Quickkick was primarily aimed at providing beginners with a chance to try their hand at the sport.
“Giving older women the chance to do things they might not have been able to try back in the ‘old days’ … it’s really empowering for these people. I’m always getting messages from women telling me how excited they were to have a footy in their hands.”
Nominations for the Gold Coast Bulletin Women of the Year are open now.