IT WAS a full circle moment when former AFLW player Aliesha Newman was asked to design the 2026 Pride Round ball.

The proud Ningy Ningy artist had the opportunity to contribute to a competition that had played a significant part in her own journey of self-discovery.

For it was the welcoming and accepting environment created by her former teammates and staff that allowed Newman to be herself without judgement.

Now a decade on, Newman is able to share her appreciation for the AFLW community while also being a role model for others on their own journeys.

Newman was selected by the Melbourne Football Club as a free agent prior to the inaugural AFLW season in 2016.

The then 21-year-old had previously played soccer and athletics, but being part of a football club was a new experience.

"Pretty much as soon as I walked into the environment at Melbourne, Mick Stinear, the way that he formed the team, he made us all feel extremely comfortable very quickly," Newman said.

"It didn't matter who you were, it didn't matter where you came from, everybody was the same and everyone was equal."

Melbourne was one of seven clubs in the inaugural season and players on that list turned out to be some of the most notable in the competition, such as Daisy Pearce, Melissa Hickey, and Rocky Cranston.

"I think it was the ability to sit back and almost appreciate those players being so comfortable with who they are," Newman said.

"I had the likes of Daisy (Pearce), Junior (Elise O’Dea), Mel Hickey, Rocky Cranston - there's so many well-known individuals that are now household names.

"They were obviously incredible players and incredible people, but it was also the confidence that they had in themselves that was something that I admired."

It was at Melbourne that Newman felt that she too could be confident to be her whole self.

"I didn't come out until I actually started playing footy, because I was never in the right environment," Newman said.

"I never knew anybody that expressed themselves wholeheartedly and I think it wasn't until I stepped into that environment and saw other people that obviously felt and experienced the same things I did, that I felt confident that I wasn’t going to be judged."

Newman’s career spanned four clubs and 67 games, the small forward joining Collingwood then Sydney after her time at Melbourne, before retiring from Greater Western Sydney in 2025.

"My whole entire 20s were spent playing AFLW, so there were obviously key moments for me as a human during my playing career that have defined me," Newman said.

"I have definitely come out (of the game) understanding who I am and what I stand for and who I want to be, and I'm so confident in my own skin now because of the people that I've met along the way.

"Just surrounding myself with people that are like-minded and just make you a better version of you. It’s something that I'll forever be grateful for."

When Newman was asked if she wanted to provide the art for this year’s Pride Round ball, it was a chance for her to be a role model like her teammates were to her all those years earlier. 

"This opportunity is bigger than me," Newman said.

"It's an opportunity to show not only young kids, but young Indigenous kids, that it is also okay to be Indigenous and to also be queer as well.

"I just want to be able to help, and if that requires me to then step out of my comfort zone in order to help somebody else, I'm gonna do it."

Since retiring Newman works at the GO Foundation, an Aboriginal-led and governed organisation that supports Indigenous students through their education journey, while also working as an artist with her own business called Jippi Jippi Dreaming.

As an Indigenous and queer woman, Newman feels there are added complexities.

"It is challenging, it's probably not as recognised within our community," Newman said.

"You don’t really see a lot of Indigenous queer people, and if you do they don't really, from what I've seen anyway, promote that they're both Indigenous and gay or bi or whatever they identify as.

"I'm already a part of one small community, so I guess adding two makes it just one big community for me."

The AFLW’s Pride Round and Indigenous Rounds are a time for reflection for Newman.

"I think when I look back at my career and look at the significance of these rounds, I think they just make you feel like you belong," Newman said.

"That's probably like me when I came into the AFLW. These rounds helped me feel comfortable to speak out and feel like I belong, and that I could wholeheartedly be myself and without being judged.

"That’s something I think the AFLW community does so well."