Gone are the days when a woman’s role at the football was in the stands, in the canteen or on the sidelines.

Women are no longer just the mothers, sisters or partners of the players; they are players, coaches, employees and directors in today’s game.

To celebrate the vast numbers who dedicate their time to Australian Rules football, women in football were recognised last weekend as part of AFL Women’s Round.

The round recognises the contribution women make at all levels of the game including as players, coaches and umpires as well as the administrative roles women fill at all 18 AFL clubs.

At the weekend’s clash between the Swans and the Saints at the SCG, Women’s Round was recognised with a very special all-female Auskick at half time.

The girls battled wind and rain during the half time break to show off their skills to the near capacity SCG crowd.

The girls who took to the field in this weekend’s unique Auskick experience represented just a small percentage of the 94,000 women and young girls participating in Australian Rules football.

NSW and the ACT boast the largest amount of women involved in the game, with 29 per cent of the national total hailing from the region.

Women’s Round was also recognised before the game, when the Sydney Swans’ two female supporter groups - L@SS and Ladies of the Lake - formed a guard of honour for the players as they ran through the banner.

To find out more about how to become a L@SS member, click here, or a Ladies of the Lake member here.

Click here to find out more about how women can get involved in AFL.