The women playing Australia’s biggest sport – in London

Playing Aussie rules in London can also be a pipeline to a professional career in Australia.

Kate Shierlaw, like Jamie, sought out AFL while she was living in London.

She played for the Wimbledon Hawks before being recruited to play professionally in Australia.

Kate, who now plays for North Melbourne, was happy to hear that women across the world continue to enjoy the sport she loves.

“It’s super special. I think because I started there, being able to see so many people playing over there, playing the best sport in the world, it’s really exciting,” she said.

Women only officially joined the AFL London league 26 years after its male counterpart which was established in 1989 and enjoyed its inaugural season in 1990.

Despite the decades-long delay, the AFL claim women’s football in London has seen “significant growth” within the last decade.

“The inaugural AFL London women’s competition commenced in 2015, featuring four founding teams. In 2026, the competition comprised ten teams across two divisions,” wrote Kaitlyn Blanchard, media manager at AFLW in a statement to the BBC.

“Female participation in Australian Football programs and competitions outside Australia grew by approximately 35% between 2023 and 2025,” she wrote noting strong female participation in Papua New Guinea, South Africa, and Fiji.

Kate Shierlaw hopes to see this growth continue.

“We should be sharing the sport all over the world so it’s so good to see so many girls playing.”

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