History

Australian football had been played by men for over 60 years before the first women's football match was played in 1921 at the Junction Oval.

Public attitudes and sexism generally prevented women from participating in organised football. However both world wars were a great liberator for women, as the men fought in the war, women were often called to perform a lot of the hard work typically done by men and this included spectator sports. It was appropriate that following World War I, an exhibition match be held to show that women could play what had previously been seen to be a man's sport. The first women's match attracted a large crowd and interest. The umpire wore a dress. Beyond this and occasional matches over the years, women's football was not organised.

Women's football was first organised with the formation of the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL) in 1981 with four teams competing at open level.

It was in 2000 that the sport began to rapidly grow, with the number of registered teams increasing by a phenomenal 450%.

There are now more than 100 women’s teams around the globe. Australian football is becoming more and more popular with women and girls, particularly young women. In 2006, 22 years was the average age of players in the VWFL.

The first ever full international was held between the USA Freedom and Team in Vancouver on 4th August, 2007 in front of a crowd of almost 2,500.

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