Women of the Year: Fiona McLarty leading the way for women in AFL at Gold Coast Suns

She’s now the head of Women’s Football at the Gold Coast Suns, but it was by pure accident that she developed a love for AFL.

FIONA McLarty got her first taste of AFL in her final year of university, helping out a friend by acting as a sports trainer for just a few games.

From there she caught the bug, and as she nears the end of her first year as Head of Women’s Football at the Gold Coast Suns, the now 41-year-old said she doesn’t regret it for a second.

“To see it grow from grassroots to where it is now means girls on the Gold Coast can see the pathway of starting out in the sport,” she said.

Fiona McLarty said she’s ready to see women’s sport go even further. Pic Tim Marsden

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Ms McLarty started out as a player before moving into coaching and finally into administrative roles, helping nurture women’s AFL.

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“When I first started I’d call schools to go out and do some clinics with them and when I turned up sometimes even the female PE teachers would say ‘we thought you were just booking it in’,” she said.

“So it’s really pleasing now to see how many females are actually working across the entire AFL industry.”

The Gold Coast Bulletin’s Women of the Year initiative is designed to honour the women who have helped build and nurture this city.

A shortlist of 24 women will be selected on January 12, nominated for categories focused on sport, charity, entrepreneurship and more.

A judging panel led by Harvey Norman CEO Katie Page and featuring a number of high profile judges will select the winners, with an awards ceremony on International Women’s Day and a special magazine released in celebration.