LAST year it was line dancing, this year it’s book club.
A new AFLW season means a new way for Poppy Scholz to bring her Carlton teammates together.
The second-year player - the younger sister of Port Adelaide’s Matilda - has taken charge of the Blues’ social calendar in her short time at the club, facilitating mental breaks away from the demand of footy.
The group meets at the Carlton cafe, but it’s not merely an excuse to get together either. Scholz prints out questions about the book to prompt discussion, and it’s a relatively formal arrangement.
A more informal version of the group started last year, with plenty of voracious readers among the playing group. So many players ended up reading the same book at the same time that Scholz made it official.
“At the start of pre-season [this year], I just sent out a message seeing if anyone was interested,” Scholz said.
“We’ve actually got like 17 people, but I’m not sure if they all read the book.
“It’s player-exclusive at the moment, but we’re looking to branch out [to coaches and staff].”
Sally Hepworth’s The Mother-in-Law is the latest read, while previous months have feature popular page-turners such as Freida McFadden’s The Inmate and Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes.
Several players carry their e-readers everywhere with them, keen to take advantage of small pockets of downtime at the club or before training sessions.
While all players are welcome at book club, some prefer not to be shackled by a slower pace and group consensus on books.
Yaz Duursma is a voracious reader, churning through the entire A Court of Thorns and Roses series as well as the Throne of Glass and Fourth Wing series.
“I’m not a part of [book club] because I just like to read my own thing, and I think I have different interests to what everyone is reading at the minute,” Duursma said.
“I’m a sucker for fantasy romance. I sit in bed with my Kindle, and I’ve got this thing that I clip my Kindle into and it attaches to my bedhead and I just press a button and it turns the page. I just sit there for hours.”
Vice-captain Mimi Hill also worked her way through the A Court of Thorns and Roses series after it was an “unofficial” book club book last year.
“I think they’re going to make movies of it, so I wanted to get through the book so I could be one of those people that’s like ‘it’s so different to the book, the book’s better’,” she joked.
Hill has always been into reading, with a wide-ranging taste that stops short of one key genre.
“You know what I’m not into? Self-help books. There’s just too much. We’re all bombarded by like, ‘you need to do this better and that better’,” she said.
“Enough is enough!”
Reading isn’t the only way players consume novels, with veteran Darcy Vescio opting to listen to audiobooks while they paint or tuft.
It’s a nice way to switch off or unwind after a big day of training, with one genre in particular dominating their preference.
“I recently listened to Lena Dunham’s book ‘Famesick’, I really enjoyed that,” Vescio said.
“I guess she’s known for being quite raw and honest and this book certainly goes there, but I also enjoyed listening to her read her own book as well.
“I also listened to Erin Phillips’ autobiography. I found that really insightful and loved hearing about her upbringing.I also listened to Cynthia Erivo’s audiobook.
“I find it hard to sit and read unless it’s before bed but I really enjoy listening and I think I enjoy listening to people’s stories.”
Despite preferring non-fiction, Vescio was spurred on by the FOMO of missing out last year to join the Blues’ book club ahead of the 2026 season.
“I recently signed up. Last year I wasn't part of it and I felt a little bit like I needed to opt into this, as a lover of the arts I felt I was letting myself down by not contributing to the conversation,” Vescio joked.
“So I have listened to ‘The Mother-In-Law’. I’m not much of a fiction-reader or listener so it was good to delve into that and I’m looking forward to the meet-up.”
Carlton takes on St Kilda in the opening match of the 2026 NAB AFLW season on Sunday at 4.35pm AEST ahead of a men's game between the two sides at 7.20pm. Get tickets here
