All pictures: Michael Lovell

AT THE end of the 2021 season, the Yeronga Devils girls' program was struggling.

The club where AFLW superstar Emily Bates learned her craft, and is a lifetime member, had dwindling player numbers that were alarming.

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Rather than look for a quick fix, the Devils carefully did their research, consulted experts, and plotted a course for long-term success.

Today, the Yeronga Junior Australian Football Club proudly claims the mantle as the No.1 youth and girls' club in Queensland.

Necole Wolf, Yeronga's youth girls co-ordinator, was part of a small, dedicated working group tasked with turning things around on and off the field.

"The growth of the girls' football program has been a deliberate and values-driven journey – we certainly didn't set out to be the biggest," Necole says.

"Acknowledging the gap at the time between the boys' and girls' programs, the club set out to create a full pathway for girls to play footy at the level they aspired to.

"From the outset, the focus has extended well beyond the field.

"The club borrowed from an existing sport literacy framework to support the broader needs of girls and young women, aiming to create a positive and empowering environment.

"Coaching appointments have been made with care and purpose – prioritising alignment with the program's values over experience alone.

"In doing so, the club has nurtured a culture led by positive role models, with a strong emphasis on female leadership.

"This season we have nine women in coaching roles across the club, reflecting our investment in developing and championing female coaches. Our female player numbers have also grown exponentially from Superstars through to U17s.

"The result is a program that not only builds strong footballers, but confident young women."

Halfway through the 2025 season, the Devils have a whopping 264 girls playing footy, up from about 57 in 2021, as well as 14 female coaches and 13 female umpires.

A by-product of this success saw the Devils champion four girls playing their 100th game earlier this season.

"It's been amazing to celebrate as they've been a part of the program since its inception," Necole says.

"It's been special to also do this while being connected to our past.

"The Bates family is still well connected to the club, and club legend Emily has a pretty cool connection to a number of our young players."

Brisbane-based photographer Michael Lovell entered his pictures of the 100-game celebration of Necole's daughter Mollie, Amelie Smith, Evey Devlin and Hannah Rutherford into this year's Footy Focus competition.

Michael's task would have been a lot easier if they hadn't been playing in two games at the same time.

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"I was jumping between both games because all four of them were playing," Michael says, laughing.

"The trickiest part for me on that day was there was no cloud. It was bright sunshine, and it was a nine o'clock game, so the sun is quite bright in Queensland.

"It's nice shooting afternoon games when the sun's softer, but I had bright sun and no cloud.

"So, you're just fighting the shadows and the harsh light more than anything else."

Having grown up in Sydney, it was a long shot that Michael would end up passionate about shooting junior AFL girls games in Queensland.

>> See more of Michael Lovell's photography HERE 

But as fate would have it, he was good mates with Amanda Farrugia well before she became the inaugural captain of the GWS Giants' AFLW team.

"I didn't grow up with AFL, I grew up in western Sydney when it was all rugby league," he says.

"And then one of my closest friends was drafted and became the inaugural captain of the GWS Giants in their first season of AFLW.

"We lived in Parramatta, so we were really close to the Giants' home ground.

"We started watching Amanda, my kids were three and five then, and we'd all go and started watching the AFL boys too."

After the family had moved to Brisbane, Michael's son took up footy and he started to take photography more seriously.

Michael, a graphic designer by trade, is shooting more clubs these days, but shares a special bond with Yeronga, the AFL, and the craft he cares so much about.

"AFL has such a community around it, I'm still relatively fresh to AFL, so I never realised the brotherhood and sisterhood with it," Michael says.

"They really actually care about each other and care about their club.

"I think that's why people love it so much.

"For me, shooting games is art. I try and find something, within the action or off to the side or in the sheds, there's those little moments, those little interactions, they're the gems, I reckon.

"The high action is great, someone taking a speccie, or kicking the winning goal, but it's those little moments just before, just after, that that I really aim for.

"I'm always trying to catch those moments, it's an ever-evolving beast, but you just keep trying to find it."

Footy Focus 25, thanks to Toyota's Good For Footy, is now open for entries! Here's your chance to shadow and shoot with Michael Willson at a game in 2026.  We want to see your photos that capture the essence of our great game at a grassroots level. To enter, upload your best community footy photos taken during 2025 to: afl.com.au/footyfocus25