Six-week ban for woman who played footy against blokes in Padthaway reserves game

The SANFL has banned a South-East woman from the local women’s league for six weeks for pulling on the boots of a men’s reserve side, saying she exposed herself and others to insurance risk.

• Town rallies behind footy club fined for playing woman

She’s the woman who played footy with the men.

But Casey McElroy’s decision to don her football boots and run out with the Padthaway Lions reserves team on May 25, has been deemed such a serious breach of SANFL rules that she has been hit with a six-week ban from playing for her women’s football side.

McElroy, 27, plays for the Kybybolite Tigers in the Limestone Coast Women’s Football League and the six-week ban will swallow up almost the entire 2020 season (in 2019, the LCWFL’s season ran for eight rounds excluding finals).

The penalty demonstrates the serious nature in which the SANFL views the breach of guidelines that unregistered footballers are not permitted to play.

Under the Australian Football Match Policy, females are not permitted to play football in a mixed gender team after the age of 14.

Casey McElroy, 27, on the family farm at Marcollat with her dad Bradley and grandfather Jeffrey. Picture: TAIT SCHMAAL

On Thursday, the SANFL charged McElroy with the breach of regulations and she now has seven days to accept the six-week match penalty, which would apply next season, or have the matter referred to an independent tribunal hearing.

A shattered McElroy told The Advertiser over text message: “I’m devastated to know that I won’t be playing next season as soon as I hoped.

“Thank you for understanding that I won’t be providing any further comment at this time, as you will understand I am devastated with this outcome and need to take some time to consider where I go from here.”

The Padthaway Football Club has already been hit with a $1000 fine with a further $1000 suspended, which was handed down by the Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara Football League earlier this week.

Although the club knew it was breaking league rules by playing McElroy, it simply wanted the match to go ahead.

The SANFL’s general manager of football Adam Kelly said playing as an unregistered player in an official match was a serious breach of regulations.

“The legitimate registration of players and their eligibility to play is paramount to the integrity of all Australian Football competitions,” he said.

Kelly said the sporting body’s investigation had confirmed that McElroy was made aware of the relevant policies and regulations before the breach occurred, and she acknowledged her awareness of this during the subsequent investigation, however had still opted to play.

By playing in the game as unregistered and ineligible, McElroy exposed herself to insurance risk, along with her teammates as well as the opposition.

McElroy’s decision to play in the men’s team was originally attributed to a lack of players in the Lions’ B side.

Casey McElroy, who plays for Kybybolite in the Limestone Coast Women’s Football League, is devastated with the outcome. Picture: Tait Schmaal

But the SANFL has revealed that its inquiries found that to be false: that the Padthaway B grade had 18 other players available to play on the day of the breach occurring.

The KNTFL Reserves is a 16-player per side competition that has an allowance in match regulations to further reduce player numbers to as low as 12.

Kelly said the SANFL had worked with local clubs to establish the Limestone Coast Women’s Football League, which gave senior female participants in that region the opportunity to play and enjoy competition football.

“We are investing in growing women’s competitions right across the state to create increasing opportunities for females to participate and develop pathways in the game for those who aspire to play football at a senior, and elite, level.”

SANFL currently oversees eight regional female leagues throughout SA to accommodate the rapid growth of female football participation. In 2019, female club participation has grown across the State by more than 20 per cent, to in excess of 7000 players.

A spokesperson for the SANFL said no further comment will be made until the matter has been finalised.