How the AFLW fan space has created new fan narratives in alternative storytelling

Abstract

During the third season of the national Australian Rules women’s competition (AFLW) in 2019, journalist and academic Kate O’Halloran hosted an AFLW themed radio show, Kick Like a Girl, on Melbourne’s independent radio station, Triple R. The show included a segment titled, Voices from the Stands, which was presented by writer and award-winning documentary maker, Kirby Fenwick. Fenwick interviewed fans at various AFLW matches during the season, asking what it was about the AFLW competition and women’s football that they loved. Recurring themes of fans highlighting feelings of now being considered welcome or safe at the game as well as sharing stories of having “come back” to football after being disillusioned or excluded by the culture of the men’s competition were common. These fan narratives highlight an emerging fan space in professional, women’s Australian Rules football that is counter to the men’s game. This paper seeks to analyse the narratives collected by Fenwick as well as additional fan writing that has emerged since the inception of the AFLW that challenges the portrayals of fandom and concepts of what and who a “real fan” is.