2023 has been a pretty monumental year for women’s sports in Australia. This year’s Women’s World Cup managed to reach around 11.15 million people and currently holds the title of the most streamed event in Australia’s history – which is pretty rad, but we reckon that this appreciation is long overdue. And we’re not the only peeps who feel this way, as AFLW player Alyce Parker seems to share the same kind of sentiment.

Alyce is a player for the Greater Western Sydney Giants and has got heaps of awards under her belt, despite only making her professional debut four years ago. We recently caught up with her to talk about her professional career, as well as how the game can become even better allies to its female players.

Hiya Alyce! First up, we hear that you’ve been recovering from an ankle injury. How are you feeling? Thanks! I’m feeling a bit better now, but there’s still a fair bit of rehab to go.

What does your normal training routine look like? I usually do about two to three sessions out on the field with a strong focus on recovery when we’re in season, but when we’re off-season I do just a little bit less. The AFLW players are all technically part-time, so we’re playing and training while still at uni or working.

What was your first introduction to football and what inspired you to take it up professionally? I grew up in the country, so I’ve always been playing sports. I loved so many different types of sports growing up, and I tried my hand at everything. But I was really drawn to footy and so when an opportunity came up to play it in year seven, I snatched it up and I’ve been playing it ever since.

You started your football career pretty early in life. What was your thought process like during that time? It was a unique time in my life. In my childhood, football wasn’t even my favourite sport, but I played it the most. I think I had a lot of pressure on me when I was first drafted in 2018 to excel, so that was a bit tough, but I just loved playing the sport at a professional level – I was just so excited.

You’ve won countless awards since then, including the Rising Star Award following your first-ever season. Do you ever feel pressure to keep up with this award-winning momentum? That's a great question. I’m so grateful for those awards, but in my own experience, I base a lot of my success on my personal development. I try not to get too swept up in the awards, and I try to be more introspective but still do my absolute best for myself and my team.

What is it like witnessing the success of the Women’s World Cup and a renewed interest in women’s sport? There are so many incredible women athletes, and this is something that we’ve all been working towards for such a long period, but we can see a massive shift in appreciation, particularly this year. I think that there's a lot more discussion around women's sport. I hope this leads to more opportunities for female athletes and sport in the future, and allow growth.

How can we achieve equal gender representation in sports? I always come back to education and exposure. I think having more access to sports programs as a child was so beneficial, particularly for someone like myself, which led me to where I am now. I think another key aspect is giving more women’s sports exposure on TV and online, to help and try to increase the fan base, since engagement is key in developing and growing the game.

Where do you see AFLW in the future? Full-time. This is what we're all working towards. We’d all love to play the sport just as much as the guys, and I hope that even if I don’t get to, the women after me do. It’ll be like an award for all the hard work we’ve all put in.