It's time to celebrate the sixth AFLW Pride Round as festivities kick off across Rounds 9 and 10 of the 2025 NAB AFLW Season, with fans encouraged to attend a match and show their allyship.
For the first time in the competition's history Pride Round will span two weeks, giving all clubs the chance to showcase their unique pride guernseys in front of their home fans.
AFLW players representing all Victorian clubs gathered at Mission Whitten Oval today to launch the round in Melbourne, fittingly at the ground which hosted the very first Pride Game played between the Western Bulldogs and Carlton in 2018.
One player who ran out in that match was the Blues' Darcy Vescio. The goal-kicker turned defender is a talented artist and created the artwork for this year's Pride Sherrin which was also unveiled today.
The design not only celebrates the strong connection AFLW has with the LGBTQI+ community but also highlights milestone moments in women's football dating all the way back to 1892 when a woman in Bendigo was charged with being a nuisance for kicking a footy in public.
Fast forward more than one hundred years and the design also calls out moments including the late Sal Rees who was the first woman to nominate for the national draft in 1995, Alison Downie and Emma King who contested the first AFLW ruck contest and pioneer Debbie Lee, who was the first woman to be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
An apt design as the league celebrates and reflects on its 10th season this year.
To recognise Pride Round there will be an array of initiatives nationally at games. The 50m arcs will turn into rainbows, all AFLW field and boundary umpires will wear rainbow-coloured sweatbands and goal umpires will swap their traditional white flags for the pride flag.
Clubs have also planned festivities across match days to elevate the experience for fans, with many also inviting and hosting local pride and ally community groups at their venues to welcome everyone to Pride Round.
Pride Cup and JOY Media are AFLW Pride Round Partners with the organisations receiving royalties from selected pride merchandise sold across the two weeks.
AFLW General Manager Emma Moore was on hand at the launch today and said the AFLW has always had a strong link to the LGBTQI+ community.
"I'm incredibly proud and excited to launch the sixth AFLW Pride Round today which has evolved since the very first Pride Game at Whitten Oval back in 2018 when the Western Bulldogs hosted Carlton," Moore said.
"It's fitting as we celebrate the 10th AFLW season that we have grown the round. For the first time in the competition's history Pride Round will span across two weeks, giving every club a chance to wear their unique pride guernseys at a home game.
"The AFLW has always had a strong connection to the LGBTQI+ community, and we've created a safe and inclusive environment where everyone can be themselves, which goes to the heart of our theme for Pride Round – See you be you, at the W.
"Embracing the diversity that strengthens our game will always be part of the AFLW's fabric and there will be an array of activities and initiatives driven by the AFL and all the clubs across Rounds 9 and 10 to celebrate.
"The 50m arcs will turn into rainbows, all AFLW field and boundary umpires will wear rainbow-coloured sweatbands and goal umpires will swap their traditional white flags for the pride flag, and of course we have the amazing Pride Sherrin that has been designed by Carlton's Darcy Vescio.
"Clubs will also be celebrating with festivities at matches, and many have invited local pride and ally community groups to attend and connect with the team. It's important to recognise the contribution the LGBTQI+ community has made to our game since its inception.
"There will be everything from dedicated Pride Hubs at certain games, roaming entertainers, pride-themed giveaways and rainbow carpets, to laps of honour and photo booths. They are special game days, and I suggest fans check out their team's website and social channels for everything that's on offer at their matches.
"Over the next two weeks we encourage fans to attend AFLW Pride Round and be an ally – it's easy to show your support by simply going to the footy."
Carlton foundation player, Darcy Vescio, designed the Pride Sherrin this year and detailed their design at the launch at Mission Whitten Oval.
"I was so excited when the idea for me to design the pride ball came up because I never thought I'd have the opportunity, so I was all in," Vescio said.
"For season 10 of AFLW there was a real cause for reflection and look how far the competition has come. The most special thing about AFLW is that you feel like you're part of a movement and part of all these different waves of players, administrators, people and supporters around the game, and that's where the concept came from.
"I was looking at images of ripples in the sand because I was looking at the different eras of women's footy and AFLW and the marks they have made in the game. I have created all these dots on the ball, but each dot is a football and then I've weaved the pride colours throughout that, and then combined the ten different moments to celebrate 10 seasons.
"I'm so pleased with it, I love it, and I hope the people featured on it love it as well and we can create some more special memories with it across Pride Round."
The 10 iconic moments depicted on the 2025 Pride Ball:
1892 – Bendigo woman charged with nuisance for kicking a ball in public
1923 – Richmond Tigresses wear masks in their team photo to avoid public shaming
1995 – The late Sal Rees became the first woman to nominate for the AFL draft
2017 – Alison Downie and Emma King contest the first ever ball up in AFLW history
2017 – Jasmine Garner scores the first goal in AFLW history
2017 – Erin Phillips celebrates the historic 2017 Adelaide premiership with her twin kids Brooklyn and Blake
2019 – Tayla Harris' kick, which became the target of online trolling and a symbol for change
2021 – Debbie Lee becomes the first woman to enter the AFL Hall of Fame
2022 – Daisy Pearce lifts the cup with Coach Mick Stinear as Melbourne win the season 7 premiership in her final game
2024 – Maddy Prespakis lifts her shirt in response to body shaming – a moment likened to Nicky Winmar's stand against racism
