QBE Sydney Swans Academy product Jess Doyle will make history this weekend when she becomes the first player from the Youth Girls program to play in the AFLW.
Doyle led from the front during her time in the QBE Sydney Swans Academy and last year captained the under-19 team.
The 18-year old from the Manly-Warringah Wolves was drafted to the GWS Giants at pick 49 in last year's AFLW Draft and will get her opportunity at the elite level when the Giants play the Kangaroos on Sunday.
An athletic forward, Doyle impressed in her appearances in the Academy Series for the QBE Swans Academy last year and in the national championships for the Allies.
She rounded off a successful national championships with selection in the AFLW Under 19 Championships All-Australian Team and also became the first QBE Swans Academy graduate to play in the VFLW when she played two games for Williamstown in 2021.
We don’t often share content from our cross town rivals but this is an exception…
— Sydney Swans (@sydneyswans) January 21, 2022
QBE Sydney Swans Youth Girls Academy product & our former U19 Captain Jess Doyle will make her @aflwomens debut this weekend. We know how hard she has worked & wish her all the best in her debut! https://t.co/oXqAUYx0cX
QBE Sydney Swans Under 19 coach Jared Crouch, who has assisted Doyle with her craft, said he was incredibly proud to see her get her opportunity.
"I am so proud of Jess, it is great reward for all the hard work she has put in over the last couple of years," Crouch said.
"It couldn't have happened to a nicer person and I am looking forward to watching her play at that level."
Crouch added that Doyle's selection was great for the QBE Sydney Swans Academy program and for AFL in NSW.
"Just like how Luke Parks (former Academy player) got an opportunity at Carlton, I am very happy that more NSW girls and boys are getting an opportunity at the highest level," Crouch said.
"It should also inspire our girls in the Academy at the moment, knowing that only last year, Jess was in the position they are in now."
Many of these aspirants will take part in the upcoming AFLW Summer Series as the club looks to build their list ahead to joining the AFLW competition in 2022/23.
The series commencing next month will be made up of 120 athletes across four teams, with talent from the QBE Sydney Swans Academy and Giants Academy to also compete.
Following the Women’s Summer Series, the Sydney Swans will form an open training squad to take part in a series of matches in the lead up to the 2022 NAB AFLW Draft.
