Norwood to honour ‘truly inspiring’ former female football co-ordinator Ashleigh Young who died of an asthma attack

The 2024 SANFLW season will begin on Friday night with a special tribute to the local football “mother figure” following her tragic death from asthma.

A local women’s football hero will be honoured when the 2024 SANFL Women’s League kicks off on Friday night.

The Ashleigh Young Tribute Match at Norwood Oval will be the centrepiece of the opening round, with the Redlegs paying homage to their inspirational former female football co-ordinator, who died in December.

Young’s contribution to the game – and her beloved Norwood – will be acknowledged when the Legs open the season against reigning premier Central District at The Parade at 7.40pm.

“As we prepare for the opening round of the competition, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the significance of this occasion for our club,’’ Norwood chief executive James Fantasia said.

“Opening round has provided us with a unique opportunity to come together as a football community and pay tribute to the memory of Ashleigh Young, who tragically passed away before Christmas.

Ashleigh Young at Norwood Oval last year. Picture: Norwood Football Club

“While we had the chance to say our farewells at a beautiful send-off before Christmas, this will be the first time we gather during the competition to honour and celebrate her remarkable contributions as a young female leader in sport and the administration of women’s football.

“Ashleigh’s presence and impact on our club was profound. Her enthusiasm, dedication and drive to support and empower our female football program was truly inspiring.

“As we embark on the new season, her absence will be deeply felt but her legacy will continue to inspire us.

“Ashleigh will be dearly missed but her spirit will live on in our hearts and in the continued growth and success of our club.’’

The dedicated Young, who died at age 31 after suffering complications related to her asthma, spent three years at Norwood, working mainly with the club’s senior women's and junior girls programs.

The club described her as “a mother figure, sister, friend, mentor, confidant and beautiful lady’’.

SANFLW 2024 captains, from left, Shelby Smith (Central District), Sam Franson (Glenelg), Jess Edwards (North Adelaide), Stephanie Simmonds (Norwood), Brianna Cleggett (South Adelaide), Kate Harris (Sturt), Madi Russell (West Adelaide) and Annie Falkenberg (Woodville-West Torrens) at the season launch at Prospect Oval on Wednesday. Picture: David Mariuz (SANFL)

Young was also director of sport and recreation at private girls school Wilderness and had been an administrative assistant at Sacred Heart College.

As part of her tribute on Friday, the Wilderness and Sacred Heart girls football teams will play a curtain raiser to the SANFLW clash at Norwood Oval from 4pm.

There will also be an emotional scoreboard and on-field tribute, including a minute’s silence, to Young at 7.30pm before the Redlegs-Dogs game.

Round 1 will also pit West Adelaide and South Adelaide against each other at Thebarton Oval on Friday night while on Saturday, Woodville-West Torrens will host Sturt at Eastern Parade Reserve (1pm) and North Adelaide will play Glenelg at Thebarton Oval (6.30pm).

Ashleigh Young (right) with her former Norwood players. Picture: Norwood Football Club

Season eight of the SANFLW will be the biggest and best yet, with the eight-team competition expanded to a bumper 14-round home-and-away fixture – up from 12.

The season will also include a historic state game between the SANFL and WAFL, to be played in Perth in May.

SANFL chief executive Darren Chandler said there was “a terrific air of excitement” around the start of the new campaign.

“On the back of SA’s back-to-back under-18s AFL Girls National Championship wins in the past two years and the growing depth of young talent in this state, there is an

exciting crop of emerging stars, combined with mature age talent across all eight

SANFL clubs,” Chandler said.