STAR West Australian Ella Roberts headlines the 27 players chosen for next year's NAB AFLW Academy.

Earlier this year, the lively forward was named player of the 2021 NAB AFLW Under-19 Championships at just 16.

J'Noemi Anderson, the younger sister of North Melbourne's Jed, is one of several Academy members with family connections.

Siblings Joe and Jasmine have also been through the AFL and AFLW systems.

Fleur Davies' older sister Giselle was selected by Gold Coast in this year's NAB AFLW Draft, while Cynthia Hamilton's older sister Lexi was on Gold Coast's list in 2020.

Western Australia's Ashleigh Reidy is related to football royalty, with St Kilda legend Nicky Winmar the cousin of her grandfather.

Six of the 27 players are bottom-age, and won't be eligible for the draft until 2023, including Port Adelaide NGA product Lauren Young and Eastern Ranges gun Alyssia Pisano.

There are four Indigenous members of the Academy squad - J'Noemi Anderson, Kyanne Campbell, Claire Ransom and Ashleigh Reidy - while six are from diverse family backgrounds: Charlotte Baskaran, Hannah Ewings, Alana Gee, Sofia Hurley, Alyssia Pisano and Ella Smith

National Academy manager and coach Tarkyn Lockyer said the program would continue to highlight the AFL and AFLW as the first-choice sport for the most-talented athletes. 

“Members of the NAB AFL and AFLW Academy will be given the opportunity to develop themselves as people and players under the guidance of expert coaching, high performance and wellbeing staff," he said. 

“The program is aligned with the National Talent Pathways philosophy of ‘Developing Better People, Better Players’ by using a holistic development approach to focus on the growth of the individual, on and off the field, and their ability to contribute to a team environment.

“The program content will be delivered through a mixture of face-to-face and online modules. Each of the squads will also get the opportunity to showcase their talents in a high-performance camp and representative game."

Top age (eligible for the 2022 NAB AFLW Draft)

Bottom age (born 2005)