By Abbey Martin
On Thursday 9 March the Baulko Hawks youth girls were invited to visit the Giants HQ as part of an initiative by the Hills Shire Council for International Women’s Week. We attended a tour of the facilities, listened to a speech from two of the AFLW players, Renee Forth and Maddy Collier, and were also lucky enough to have a kick and complete a few drills on the Giants training pitch. These drills were lead by Zac, a member of the training staff at the Giants. The tour was fantastic and was led by Ash. The Giants chef also met with us, talking about the type of food that he prepares for the male and female Giants players. It was interesting to learn that chicken is often on the menu in lieu of red meat options. We were lucky enough to visit places in the facility that are usually out of bounds, including the change rooms.
Visiting these facilities and speaking to all who were involved made me realise how big women in footy is becoming. Renee and Maddy’s stories inspired me and proved that if you work hard, stay focused and believe in yourself and your abilities you can achieve great things.
Coming from a soccer background, I could really relate to Renee’s story and it just made me even more excited for future and growth of women’s footy. I have returned from the tour of Giants HQ more motivated than ever!