ACROSS the 10 years of AFLW there have been moments that will be remembered forever. Events that have changed the landscape of sport in Australia.
From lockouts to big kicks. From inclusivity to rivalries. To icons and legends. The AFLW has had an impact on our society.
Let's take a look at the top 10 most iconic moments across the AFLW since its inception.
10. Michael Willson's photo of young Geelong fans greeting Georgie Rankin
They say a picture tells a thousand words, and in this case, it told a story. A story of change.
Award-winning photographer Michael Willson's image of a group of young girls dressed head to-toe-in Geelong merchandise hoping to meet their hero Georgie Rankin showcased the new generation of fans flocking to watch the AFLW competition.
It highlighted that young women now had the opportunity to look up to and embrace female football role models such as Rankin.
The image of these girls highlighted the power of AFLW and how the game is now accessible to all. These girls could grow up now with dreams of playing football, something that hasn’t always been the case.
9. First AFLW Dreamtime game played in Darwin, 2024
It was one of the best AFLW games we've seen when Essendon and Richmond met for the first AFLW Dreamtime in Darwin at TIO Stadium in 2024.
It was played on Saturday night in round nine in front of a crowd of 4,407, and the match lived up to the occasion.
Tigers skipper Katie Brennan, who came into the game under an injury cloud, kicked two goals in the first term, while Bombers skipper Bonnie Toogood was damaging at the other end two goals of her own.
At the end of the match, nothing could separate the two sides, with the thrilling game finishing in a draw.
8. First Western Derby
Sport loves a rivalry, and for interstate teams, you can't beat it when two clubs from the same state face each other.
These fixtures have all become well known to AFL and AFLW fans - the Showdown, the Derby, the QClash and the Battle of the Bridge.
These rivalries have slowly been introduced into the AFLW as teams have gradually been added to the competition.
So when West Coast entered the competition in 2020 and came up against foundation club Fremantle, Western Australians really got behind the first edition of the rivalry.
To add to the spice of the occasion, there were a number of players who had crossed from Fremantle in the off-season to join the Eagles, including inaugural club champion Dana Hooker and star forward Kellie Gibson.
The game was played at Optus Stadium in front of a crowd of 35,185 and the Dockers thrashed the new kids on the block by 45 points.
7. First Pride game
In 2018, the Western Bulldogs and Carlton decided to host the first ever Pride Game in round four.
The sides wore the first Pride jumpers - Carlton's designed by its very own Darcy Vescio - and the game was played at Whitten Oval in front of a crowd of 8,987.
Fans witnessed a spectacular individual performance when then Bulldogs player Brooke Lochland booted seven goals for the game - still the greatest number of goals by an individual in a game.
The game was so popular with AFLW audiences that the initiative has continued to grow. This season Pride Round will run over two weeks (round nine and round 10), to allow each team to wear their Pride jumper at their home venue.
6. Erin Phillips joins Port Adelaide
It had been a long time coming, but the rumours came true when AFLW superstar Erin Phillips became the first player to join Port Adelaide's women's team.
It had long been a point of discussion that Phillips would head to the Power, the club where her father Greg played 343 games, leaving the state's crosstown rivals the Adelaide Crows where she had co-captained the side for four seasons.
The then 36-year-old said it had been her lifelong dream to represent Port Adelaide, the side she had supported as a child.
"As a kid growing up, all I wanted was to be like Dad and play football for the Port Adelaide Football Club. Port Adelaide feels like home to me. It's where I spent a lot of my childhood," Phillips said.
"It was always my dream to be able to represent the club and add to its incredible history, and I am beyond thrilled to finally get that chance and play a role in building this team from the ground up."
Phillips captained the Power for two seasons before retiring at the end of 2023.
5. Daisy Pearce holding up the Premiership Cup in 2022
When Daisy Pearce stood on the stage with coach Mick Stinear and held the 2022 Premiership cup aloft, AFLW fans knew the significance.
Pearce had completed her legacy - helping grow the game from its infancy, to finish her career at the competition's peak.
From a young age Pearce was the face of women's footy, promoting the game before AFLW existed.
Pearce was a star on and off the field, as a 10-time premiership player with the Darebin Falcons and six-time Helen Lambert medallist recognising the best player in the Victorian Women's Football League.
The midfielder was heavily involved in publicising the women's exhibition series games between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs following her selection as the No.1 draft pick in the 2013 draft.
It was no surprise that when the AFLW competition was announced, Pearce was signed as a marquee player by the Demons in 2016 alongside Falcons teammate Melissa Hickey.
Pearce captained the Demons for six seasons and played 55 games in the red and blue, her last being the 2022 Grand Final, completing her legacy from inaugural player and women's football champion, to premiership captain.
To celebrate the moment Pearce and her premiership teammate Tayla Harris went and got matching tattoos - an outline of Pearce and Melbourne coach Mick Stinear holding up the cup.
4. 53,034 attend the 2019 Grand Final at Adelaide Oval
Records were broken when a huge crowd of over 53,000 packed out Adelaide Oval for the 2019 Grand Final between Adelaide and Carlton.
The AFL had forecast a crowd of 30,000, but were blown away when 20,000 more than their estimated figure turned up at the ground, requiring staff at the Adelaide Oval to open up their top tier of seating.
The largely Adelaide supporting crowd were treated to a dominant display by the home side who thrashed Carlton by 45 points. Who can forget Chloe Scheer's flying mark at the top of the 50 or the harrowing scenes when Adelaide captain Erin Phillips was stretched off after injuring her knee.
The crowd from that day still holds the record for the largest attended AFLW game.
3. All 18 teams
It was a symbolic moment that would have brought a tear to the eyes of female football fans, where they saw the AFL's press conference on the MCG with a male and female player from each 18 clubs.
It was a moment that meant a lot to many, in particular Hawthorn, Essendon, Sydney and Port Adelaide fans who now had a team in both the men's and women's competition.
The AFLW competition was now whole, with every AFL club now represented, a feat that had taken six seasons.
2. Tayla Harris’ kick
It was a moment that made headlines across the country, when in 2019, a photo of 21-year-old Tayla Harris kicking for goal sparked controversy and debate about online trolling.
The photo, taken by AFL photographer Michael Willson in Carlton's round seven game against the Western Bulldogs, showed the athleticism of the key forward, who had become known for her signature kicking action.
The image was reshared on Channel Seven's Twitter (now known as X) account and attracted a large number of inappropriate comments online. After reviewing the comments, Channel Seven decided to take the post down.
The removal of the post started a cultural debate. Many believed there was nothing inappropriate with the image, and instead the issue was with the people making the comments.
Conversations around trolling and online bullying, brought to light some of the abuse that women and female athletes face online.
To remember the moment and the debate, a bronze statue of the Harris kick was created by sculptor Terrance Plowright and was unveiled at Melbourne's Federation Square.
1. AFL CEO apologies to fans locked out of Ikon Park
The shock and surprise of the massive crowd that rolled up to Ikon Park on Friday 3 February 2017 to watch the first AFLW game between Collingwood and Carlton wasn't limited to the players and fans.
The CEO of the AFL at the time, Gillon McLachlan, was also astonished by the turnout.
Instead of watching the game from the comfort of his seat, McLachlan found himself standing out the front of the gates of Ikon Park apologising to the agitated fans locked out of the ground.
The record books will show that the crowd was 24,568, but not included in that number are the hundreds standing outside the venue unable to get in.
So large was the crowd that night that there were reports that mobile phones were struggling to get reception, and that there were long queues of cars down Royal Parade.
McLachlan later said, "We just didn't realise so many people were going turn up."
It was a historical night for so many reasons, but the vision of McLachlan apologising to a crowd of passionate women's football fans out the front of Ikon Park was symbolic of the unexpected movement that was AFLW.
