From under 9’s to over 35’s, Alera Heyward is empowering women to take up AFL for the first time

Alera Heyward “lives and breathes” footy in her job as an AFL QuickKick coordinator, empowering women to lace up the boots. See how to nominate for Women of the Year.

Despite being a footy fanatic, Alera Heyward had no opportunities to pull on the boots growing up.

However, driven by her passion for the game and wanting to set an example to her three daughters, the Gold Coast mum finally took the step of joining a club in her mid-30s.

Now playing competitively in a seniors comp, she’s helping other women to take the same leap of faith in her role as the Queensland coordinator of QuickKick, an AFL initiative equipping women over the age of 35 with basic footy skills.

It’s earned her a nomination for a Gold Coast Bulletin Woman of the Year award, in the “Champions of Sport” category.

SEE HOW TO NOMINATE HERE

“When the AFL advertised the job for QuickKick it was a no-brainer – footy for me is such a great way to get out and do something that doesn’t involve the kids,” Ms Heyward laughed.

“It’s about getting women out of their comfort zones because there are a lot of us oldies who wouldn’t be comfortable rocking up to a footy club.”

Balancing Quikick, coaching and competing Alera Heyward (left) said she now “lives and breathes” the sport. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Ms Heyward admits she now “lives and breathes” the sport, juggling fortnightly QuickKick clinics on Sunday afternoons, competing at a senior level, and coaching her daughters’ under-9 team, all while supporting another daughter’s journey through the Gold Coast Suns Academy.

She said moving to the area from Tasmania provided her family with an abundance of options to get involved more deeply in the sport.

“Footy on the Coast is moving so much more quickly than in Tassie,” she said.

“There’s so much in the city here that Tassie can’t offer us – down there it's more about who knows who, as opposed to people coming in and proving they can actually do it.

“I could never have gone this far with footy in Tassie.”

Moving to the Gold Coast was an important step for Alera Heyward’s footy journey. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Ms Heyward’s work with QuickKick has yielded impressive results, with two women from her sessions now playing seniors footy alongside her.

Things are also in motion to start a competition made up of teams formed from other various clinics.

“Some women just want to have a kick and learn how to handball, but others are keen to play competitively,” she said.

“Ultimately we get participants ready to play a game, starting with all the basics, and eventually working up to match simulations.”

While some women go on to play competitively, Ms Heyward said QuickKick was primarily aimed at providing beginners a chance to try their hand at the sport.

“Giving older women the chance to do things that they might not have been able to try back in the ‘old days’ is incredibly fulfilling … it’s really empowering for these people,” she said.

“I’m always getting messages from women message telling me how excited they were to have a footy in their hands.”

Nominations for the Gold Coast Bulletin Women of the Year are open now.