It’s all gold for female Australian Rugby 7s player

Watching football as a little girl, Amber Pilley always wanted a woman to look up to — now she’s making sure she’s that woman for younger generations.

GROWING up on the Gold Coast, Amber Pilley longed for any female football players to idolise.

Now the 20-year-old Wiradjuri woman has taken it upon herself to pave the way for other young women.

The chance to become an icon for other young women, she says, means everything.

“Families are so important not just to myself but to my culture, where we’re from, our family name, our mob, our community,” she said.

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Amber Pilley, 20, has been snagged by the Brisbane Broncos. Pic Tim Marsden

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“It’s very important that we’re always pushing to be the best we can be, the best role models to inspire the youth so being given a platform to do that means so much to me.”

The work Ms Pilley has put in to helping other indigenous female players achieve their goals has earned her a nomination in the Gold Coast Women of the Year awards.

For a tomboy who started playing football with the boys at lunchtime, Ms Pilley has built herself an incredible career.

GCWY: JASMINE ROBSON

Amber Pilley wants to be a good role model. Pic Tim Marsden

From her start at just nine years old, she has predominantly played Rugby 7s, both as a Nerang Roosters junior and in the 2014 Youth Olympics.

A knee injury in 2015 put her out of action for almost a full year of long and difficult recovery.

“It was definitely hard, it’s a change from training most days a week to not being able to stand or walk properly, it wasn’t easy,” she said.

“It was really hard watching my friends and the people I train alongside progress while I couldn’t go anywhere.

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“It makes you appreciate being able to again, I was just counting down the months and days until I could play again.”

Her return to the field has seen her snagged by the Brisbane Broncos and now recruited to the indigenous All Stars, but she’s still taking her role model status seriously.

“It’s very cliche, but just follow your dreams, I always use any negative feedback as just motivation from being told no,” she said.

“It’s something you encounter a lot being a woman in a male dominated sport, but persistence and hard work is key.

“If you’re passionate about what you’re doing, you’ll definitely get there.”

The Gold Coast Bulletin’s inaugural Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year campaign celebrates the city’s leading females.