Alienated from AFL, these fans built their own footy community

Asked if she ever felt excluded by the blokey world of AFL, Rana Hussain laughs.

"I'm brown, Muslim and a woman," she says. "I could enjoy it on a certain level [when I was younger] but I never felt it was pitched at me. People's attitude was, 'You can't possibly be liking it; you're just perving on the buff guys'."

Hussain now works in the industry, managing Richmond's diversity and inclusion program. She also belongs to another club; a tight-knit community centred around The Outer Sanctum podcast. "It's not just a group of listeners, it really is a community," Hussain says. "They've invited me on their show, they host public events and we interact with them on social media."

Andy Pullar, Rana Hussain and Julia Chiera are all fans of The Outer Sanctum podcast.Credit: Simon Schluter

The podcast – inspired by text message banter between a bunch of Hawks supporters – began in 2016. Initially recorded around a kitchen bench, it has since partnered with The Age and is now backed by the ABC.

Its fans all have one thing in common: they love their footy, just not the aggressively macho culture that surrounds it.

"We called it The Outer Sanctum because we'd hear so much about the 'inner sanctum', which we knew we could never be a part of," says Emma Race, who co-hosts the podcast with her sisters Lucy and Felicity, alongside Kate Seear, Nicole Hayes and Alicia Sometimes. "We had pride in being on the outer but now, it's like a family."

The Outer Sanctum's hosts, clockwise from left: Felicity Race, Alicia Sometimes, Nicole Hayes, Emma Race, Lucy Race, Kate Seear.Credit: Future Pictures

Of course, the all-female panel does not automatically make this a "women's show".

"We record in the same ABC studio as the Coodabeen Champions, a group of guys who've been doing this for 30-plus years," Race says. "No one thinks they're a 'men's show'."

Many Outer Sanctum followers are straight men, grateful for hosts who don't presume they're boorish boofheads. But its fanbase is comprised mostly of women, queer folk, people with disabilities and those from non-Anglo backgrounds.

On Wednesday, the program will host its first live recording at Southbank's Lawler Theatre. Guests include comedian Wil Anderson and listener Andy Pullar, singing an Outer Sanctum-themed cover of American Pie.

The tune was written by Seear and first performed by the six hosts – much to Pullar's horror. "As much as I love and respect those women, they slaughtered it," he laughs.

His inclusion in the live event, he believes, typifies the program's connection to its audience: "I used to identify as a lesbian and now I'm a transgender man. That didn't stop me loving the sport but it did stop me from loving the culture. When The Footy Show was the main form of AFL media, it was alienating and disappointing."

'The podcast has carved out a space for footy fans that didn't really exist,' says Julia Chiera, right.Credit: Simon Schluter

Though bigoted slurs are verboten in The Outer Sanctum community, passions run high. "We hate it when we lose and we have lots of banter," Pullar says. "But we don't have to disrespect each other."

Julia Chiera, an assistant coach of VFLW's Darebin Falcons, agrees. "The podcast has carved out a space for footy fans that didn't really exist," she says.

Its approach to issues of race, gender and sexuality also sets it apart.

"You know they love the game even when they're tearing it apart," Chiera says. "Like The Marngrook Footy Show [on NITV], they've got a values base that distinguishes them. Now, there's a whole community built on those values."