AFLW news: GWS player Haneen Zreika opts of pride round

An AFLW player of Muslim faith has made the “extremely difficult” decision not to take part in this year’s pride round.

Haneen Zreika.

Greater Western Sydney player and practising Muslim Haneen Zreika will again sit out the upcoming AFL Women’s Pride round.

Despite ongoing conversations with the club, Zreika has not shifted from the position she held in season six where she opted not to wear the team’s pride jumper on religious grounds.

The 23-year-old – who was the first Islamic player to play AFLW – will play this weekend but will not play against Hawthorn at Henson Park on October 16.

The Giants are firmly committed to wearing the specially-designed pride jumper in their Round 8 home game next weekend and align themselves with what it stands for, in support of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The forward said in January that she felt a “responsibility” to both her faith and her community.

“As the first Australian Muslim woman in the AFLW, I have a responsibility to represent my faith and my community,” she wrote in a statement in January.

“I respect people regardless of their sexual orientation.

Haneen Zreika will sit out the AFLW pride round.

“This decision was extremely difficult and I appreciate the support of the AFL, Giants and my teammates.

“Inclusion is about creating a space where people are able to respect their right to choose how they live their life as long as they don’t advocate hate and division.”

Zreika will play this weekend against Collingwood on Sunday, and is expected to come straight back into the team in Round 9.

Zreika grappled with the decision earlier this year and spoke in a recent documentary of how she had felt “excluded” by the AFL after making a submission to wear the team’s home strip in the game.

“I’ve always participated in Pride round but never wore the socks or the warm-up shirt,” Zreika said in Fearless: The Inside Story of the AFLW on Disney+, which was recorded during season six earlier this year.

Haneen Zreika says she has a responsibility to represent her faith.

“Coming into this, I never thought it would be an issue.

“I didn’t want to make a big deal of it, until the AFL rejected me from wearing a normal jersey. That was a shock to me. I love what the AFL do and the way they include everyone, but you can’t have a round where you include people but exclude someone that it impacts their faith.

“I really feel like an outsider, like, ‘no mate, you’re not part of us’.

“I always respect everyone, no matter what they are or where they come from.

“But obviously I take my religion seriously.”

Zreika spoke of her pride in her religion and being the first Muslim player in the competition, and maintained earlier this year that “I don’t judge the girls”, with a number of LGBTIQ+ players within her own team.

“They can be whatever they want,” she said in the documentary series.

“I still love and respect them and they’re still my mates. But for me to wear a jersey, and represent our faith … there’s just … (I can’t do it).”

The club has maintained that support for all players remained a priority and that the call had been Zreika’s to make.