Chest protection to give AFLW players more peace of mind on the field

It’s the injury female footballers fear getting but rarely gets talked about. Two AFLW stars have spoken out about the dangers of breast injuries and what the league can do to help prevent them.

Fremantle utility Ebony Antonio suffered a worrying breast injury. Picture: Getty Images

AFLW stars Ebony Antonio and Sabrina Frederick have opened up about the most taboo subject in women’s football — breast injuries.

Two seasons ago, Fremantle’s All-Australian Antonio copped a nasty elbow to one of her breasts during a game which initially came out in a bruise.

This was not unusual for Antonio, to emerge from a match with bruises to her chest.

But it wasn’t until later that she noticed a more ominous lump.

With a family history of breast cancer, Antonio endured a “traumatic” wait for tests and medical procedures before the bump was diagnosed as a football-related injury.

It is why Antonio went out of her way to contact AFL great Brad Johnson and his wife, Donna, when she discovered through a post on Instagram that they were producing women’s football’s first ever chest guard.

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Research undertaken by the Johnsons in their mission to provide much-needed protection for young girls playing contact sport showed that repeated knocks to the breast can cause scar tissue which can ultimately lead to difficulties in mammograms accurately detecting more sinister issues.

Antonio has called on the AFL to make the Johnsons’ “Zena” breast garment a standard issue for all women’s footballers.

“It’s not something you want to go through as a 26-year-old, thinking potentially I could have breast cancer,” Antonio said.

“Girls are very funny in talking about it as I’m sure men are uncomfortable talking about lumps on their testicles. It’s one of those awkward conversations people find hard to have.

An example of the chest guard.

Sabrina Frederick says the guard has given players confidence. Picture: Getty Images

“It should be a tool of the trade. You just never know what could happen if you do find lumps. Whether that comes back to bite the AFL on the bum later on down the track, I don’t know. If they have something in place it might be some sort of protection there for the AFL as well.

“The garment has given girls, particularly myself who has been through a bit of a traumatic time, confidence knowing I have protection there.”

Richmond’s All-Australian Frederick said wearing the breast guard had made a massive difference.

“I have people bashing into me and crushing into me all the time,” she said.

“I don’t think people quite understand or realise the long-term effects of breast impact. People think that trauma to the breast is just like trauma to the rest of the body. But constant hits can result in some really bad conditions down the line.”

Donna Johnson was inspired to develop the Zena pad, dismayed at the range of protective equipment available for her son compared to the lack of equivalent options for young girls.

“One of the biggest things has been just normalising the conversation around it,” Donna Johnson said.

“When we go to clubs, we just really try to make it light, and encourage all the coaches to come in, males included. There are a lot of women out there playing football who may have breast implants, or also might be nursing mums who are breast feeding. It’s something that really needs to be taken seriously.”

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Originally published as Chest protection to give AFLW players more peace of mind on the field