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Women are playing Australian rules football professionally for the first time in 2017, drawing sell-out crowds and stunning TV ratings. The league has been celebrated on several fronts despite some controversy over pay, writes Elissa Doherty in Melbourne.
Ask Google what foreigners think of Australian rules football and words like "blood sport", "insane" and "ferocious" come up.
One US sports anchor even described Australia's beloved brand of football as a "mix between rugby and mugging someone".
Sounds like a men-only zone, right? Wrong.
Women have been playing the rough-and-tumble game in various forms for 102 years - but in 2017 they entered the big league.
On a balmy night on 3 February, two of the first teams made history in inner Melbourne, booting the oval-shaped ball at an elite level for the first time.
And to use Australian lingo, it was a bloody ripper.
more:
Ask Google what foreigners think of Australian rules football and words like "blood sport", "insane" and "ferocious" come up.
One US sports anchor even described Australia's beloved brand of football as a "mix between rugby and mugging someone".
Sounds like a men-only zone, right? Wrong.
Women have been playing the rough-and-tumble game in various forms for 102 years - but in 2017 they entered the big league.
On a balmy night on 3 February, two of the first teams made history in inner Melbourne, booting the oval-shaped ball at an elite level for the first time.
And to use Australian lingo, it was a bloody ripper.
more:
