New Gold Coast Suns recruit Alison Drennan reveals what it’s like to be living AFLW dream
Running around the schoolyard with a Sherrin in hand, then 12-year-old Alison Drennan never thought she would don an AFL Women kit in front of thousands.
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RUNNING around the schoolyard with a Sherrin in hand, then 12-year-old Alison Drennan never thought she would don an AFL Women kit in front of thousands.
“It was the thing of fairytales,” the now Gold Coast-bound star said. “When I was little, it was pointless working towards an AFL career because it was unrealistic — it was a man’s sport.
“Despite what everyone said, I found my way here and now I am a professional footy player.”
Her debut in North Melbourne’s inaugural AFLW match, a 36-point victory over Carlton at North Hobart Oval in 2019, was the start of a whirlwind.
A personal trainer and retail assistant by trade, the Melbourne star now calls the Gold Coast home after she was traded to the Suns from St Kilda during the 2020 sign and trade period.
Now, she is looking forward to making an immediate impact in the midfield for the Suns, playing alongside Jamie Stanton, Lauren Bella, Hannah Dunn, Jacqui Yorston, Dee Heslop and Kate Surman.
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But Drennan’s sporting journey nearly played out in a different arena.
Upon graduating high school in Melbourne in 2008, the then-17-year-old secured a basketball scholarship at Fresno State College in California.
After a few years in the US, she was set to graduate and jet back to Australia when she met athletics-focused Jason Gutierrez – a track-and-field, shot put and hammer champion who would eventually become her husband.
With no extra convincing necessary, she decided to stay at college for an extra year and have a go on the track herself.
Drennan catapulted on to the national stage, finishing as a top-10 USA heptathlete in her division and was crowned Fresno’s 2014 track-and-field athlete of the year.
She returned to Australia to rejoin Victoria’s Nunawading Spectres basketball team and also rekindled her schoolyard love for football.
“It was great to be back on the courts that I grew up on,” Drennan said.
“But as soon as I heard about the AFLW, I put caution to the wind and decided to take up footy full-time.”
The girl from Wheelers Hill in southeast Melbourne trained day and night to make her footy dream a reality.
“From day dot, I put my heart and soul into it and didn’t attempt anything half-heartedly,” she said.
“It was the best learning experience and I honestly felt like a little kid again – it was the best feeling.”
After intense training, she joined St Kilda’s VFLW team.
Drennan’s biggest supporters are her family. Her mum Lynne was a softball player, her dad Kenny a “stupidly good runner”, her sister Maree a basketballer-turned-netballer, and her brother Adam loves martial arts.
“I honestly have the best family and so lucky for everything they have done and sacrificed for me,” she said.
“This Christmas I was so lucky to go home and see my family in Melbourne after being separated for months.
“Mum and Dad were so excited and we ate a lot of food and went on a lot of adventures.”
After spending quality time with her family, Drennan will jet back to the Gold Coast to prepare for the 2021 AFLW’s nine-round, home- and-away season.
The 14-team competition begins on January 28 and matches will be played across the country. A single ladder is in place after two conferences last year.
Ali hopes she can play a role in inspiring the next generation of female athletes on the Gold Coast.
It’s a changed landscape from the one she grew up in as a girl wanting to play footy in the schoolyard; now there’s a genuine pathway for young female footballers to pursue a professional career.
More than 600,000 women and girls now play football across the country and in the space of five years the competition has grown from eight teams to 14, from 216 listed players to 420 currently listed, and from seven rounds and one week of finals to nine rounds and three weeks of finals in 2021.
NAB AFL Women’s Competition will see all matches ticketed for the first time; another significant milestone displaying the progress of the competition and, as a safety measure, ensures each AFLW venue is COVID-safe.
“If you’re a little girl in the stands and want to be a footy player, do it,” Drennan said.
“If you hustle, all your dreams can come true.”
Originally published as New Gold Coast Suns recruit Alison Drennan reveals what it’s like to be living AFLW dream
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