Amy Hessell lives and breathes footy.
No, not the League variety, which she could have been forgiven for following given she grew up on Sydney’s North Shore and now lives on the Central Coast.
Her love has always been reserved for Australian Rules.
The 23-year-old has immersed herself in the sport for as long as she can remember, taking that passion to another level in 2014 when she pulled on the boots for the Gosford Wildcats.
“Being from Melbourne, my dad was a tragic Geelong supporter so naturally I’ve followed it all my life,” she said.
“I originally moved to the Central Coast for basketball but one day picked a footy and haven’t been able to put it down since.
“I love the comradery, it’s bigger than in any other sport that I have played. The commitment and comradery between everyone is incredible and it’s just a great vibe.”
That passion has taken on a whole new meaning now after Hessell appointed as the first female coach within the QBE Sydney Swans Academy.
Her talents and feats on the football field first led to a casual chat with Bob Critchley (Director of the Sydney Swans Foundation) and then a meeting with Chris Smith (Operations Manager) where a coaching role at the Hunter Academy was tabled.
Hessell meets Sydney Swans senior coach John Longmire shortly after her appointment as a Hunter Zone coach.
“I wasn’t expecting anything from it,” Hessell said.
“I thought it would be a great networking opportunity and if some opportunities arose to do some volunteering every now and then, that would have been a bonus.
“Chris, very generously, wanted to get me involved … I’m very humbled and still pinching myself that I’ve been given this opportunity.”
It is easy to see why she was pursued.
Co-captain of the Wildcats in her debut season, Hessell would go on to win the Coaches, Players’ Player and Umpires awards by year’s end before forcing state selectors to take notice the following winter.
She was first picked to play in the AFL Sydney vs AFL Canberra match in 2015, then after an impressive showing she was chosen to represent the first ever combined NSW/ACT side which squared off against Victoria Country and Queensland.
The matches are part of ongoing state vs state fixtures aimed at building momentum ahead of the upcoming 2017 Women’s League.
Amy Hessell (centre) with teammates and coach Simon Berry in 2014 ahead of the Gosford Wildcats' first season. Photo credit: Daily Telegraph
Last month, Hessell was selected in the NSW/ACT Female Academy which is divided across four different regions – Wagga Wagga, Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle.
Training in Newcastle three times a fortnight, Hessell will focus on fast tracking her skills when she lines up in Saturday's Women's All Stars curtain-raiser at the SCG before setting her sights on the first ever Women’s National Draft.
Hessell isn’t the only one. The newly formed academy is 200 members strong and make up only a small portion of the 69,815 females who play Australian Rules across NSW and ACT.
All in all, there are 284,500 females who play right across Australia and that number is expected to keep growing.
The shift is proof the incredible growth seen in Victoria and in the other AFL dominated states, which played a significant role in the establishment of the Women’s League, is filtering through to the rugby-loving regions of Australia.
“Now with the exposure of the women’s game, girls aren’t of afraid of throwing their hats in the ring to give our great sport a go,” Hessell said.
“It was probably the right time for the Sydney Swans to get a female appointed, someone who plays the sport and who can transfer some skills and knowledge across to the Academy.
“I couldn't wait to get started and see what the boys could do.”
