Women's footy star pinpoints the challenge AFLW players have that gives them an edge over the men

The AFLW is heading into its 10th season this August, but while it has taken great strides, there is one key challenge women's players face that men in the AFL rarely do.

Sophie Conway is a key winger for the Lions, a former hockey player who transitioned to the AFLW in 2018 and was part of the 2021 premiership-winning squad.

She said while the AFL has taken significant strides during that time, there was one key factor that only the women had to worry about.

'Wanting to start a family and figuring that out,' Conway told News Corp.

Given the AFLW season is much shorter than the men, it is a key point, with many champion players sacrificing time on the field to start families.

Daisy Pearce missed the entire 2019 season after announcing her pregnancy with twins. Sharni Webb sat out the 2021 AFLW season due to pregnancy.

Kate Lutkins was placed on the inactive list in 2023 due to pregnancy, briefly returned in 2024, and retired at the end of that season.

Those are just some of the players that have been forced to balance their sporting career ands targeting a family, with Conway pointing out men don't have that same issue.

'I want to be playing this sport for as long as I can and you've got some people in the men's system right now who are 37, 38, 39 and they don't have to have a year or two off,' she said.

'It's not just in the AFL, it is across a lot of workplaces.'

She says that factor shapes how many women think about their careers. It involves the physical challenge of pregnancy, recovery, and the planning needed to manage a season around it.

In the men's competition, she points out, that consideration simply doesn't exist in the same way.

Conway has seen teammates take time out to have children and return to elite football. She believes that determination is part of what makes AFLW players unique.

The league's growth has helped highlight those stories. Crowds are up 52 per cent, TV audiences have passed seven million, and membership has risen from 4,000 to nearly 76,000.

Average player wages will rise to $82,000 by 2027, edging the AFLW closer to full professionalism.

While pay parity is still distant, Conway says the improvement has been rapid.

'Our top player is on par with maybe someone who's middle of the range in the men's,' she said.

'They're still leaps and bounds in front of us, but in two years we have come an exceptionally long way.'

From her 2018 debut to now, Conway has also watched the skill level rise dramatically.

'If you look at our team, we've got players who can kick anywhere between 40 and 50 metres,' she said.

'And we play half the game time of the men.'

Conway says those perceptions only motivate players to prove their worth.

She urges sceptics to watch in person: 'From a skill and a fundamental point of view, we're just as good - if not better.'

The 2025 AFLW season begins on August 14 and runs until November 29.