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ROAR
‘When a football ground was electrified on that unforgettable February evening, feelings did not need words. They had a sound unlike anything anyone had ever heard: an almighty, heartfelt roar.’
The inaugural season of the AFL Women’s league was a game changer for Australian sport and for Australia culturally. When women joined the nation’s biggest and most popular sporting code as players, it gave them licence to become legitimate football heroes. It was personal, political, proud and powerful.
With unique insights from award-winning journalist Samantha Lane, including previously untold details behind AFLW’s birth, ROAR tells the remarkable tales of a group of trailblazers. These are intimate stories from a band of pioneers who now have a league of their own.
From Daisy Pearce, AFLW’s original poster-player, to Craig Starcevich, the Collingwood premiership footballer who found football happiness where he least expected it, and superstars including Tayla Harris and history-making coach Bec Goddard, ROAR is a groundbreaking book to inspire, illuminate and celebrate the leading lights of AFLW.
The inaugural season of the AFL Women’s league was a game changer for Australian sport and for Australia culturally. When women joined the nation’s biggest and most popular sporting code as players, it gave them licence to become legitimate football heroes. It was personal, political, proud and powerful.
With unique insights from award-winning journalist Samantha Lane, including previously untold details behind AFLW’s birth, ROAR tells the remarkable tales of a group of trailblazers. These are intimate stories from a band of pioneers who now have a league of their own.
From Daisy Pearce, AFLW’s original poster-player, to Craig Starcevich, the Collingwood premiership footballer who found football happiness where he least expected it, and superstars including Tayla Harris and history-making coach Bec Goddard, ROAR is a groundbreaking book to inspire, illuminate and celebrate the leading lights of AFLW.
- GenresNonfictionSports
353 pages, Paperback
Published February 2, 2018
12 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 13, 2018
Very good book!! Loved reading the different stories of a few of the AFLW stars. So glad that they are all able to play footy professionally, as a career. Also, so glad that through the hard work and persistence of the current AFLW girls who continued searching for somewhere to play footy and wanting to play footy (rather than giving it all up to play another sport or focus on their career), no matter how much it cost, that now there's pathways for young girls to play footy throughout their childhood and teenage life.
The AFLW competition will only get bigger and better, and it's exciting to be alive for it and to witness these great moments in sport.
Thank you to Sam Lane for producing this book and interviewing players for their stories, I hope that she can produce more books like this one, with different players, because I didn't want Roar to end and it did.
The AFLW competition will only get bigger and better, and it's exciting to be alive for it and to witness these great moments in sport.
Thank you to Sam Lane for producing this book and interviewing players for their stories, I hope that she can produce more books like this one, with different players, because I didn't want Roar to end and it did.
February 14, 2018
Love, love, love this book!!!
Samantha Lane has delved into the history of the AFLW, the struggles to get going and then the speed with which everything happened. She brought me to tears on page 55 with a discussion about the first AFL player to come out. Their story, along with others within this book made me feel like, finally, my sport is inclusive!
She has then gone into some deep interviews with players and coaches about what the AFLW means for them as a person, player or coach. There are some extremely personal moments that they have shared that will touch your heart. Open and honest, they talk about their football careers and what led them to where they are today with their involvement in the sport.
I will be forever thankful that the next generation will never know how hard these ladies and gents had to work to get this momentus competition up and running. I am also thankful to Samantha Lane for delving into these stories and bringing them to us as a way to remind us that these superstars of AFL are human.
Samantha Lane has delved into the history of the AFLW, the struggles to get going and then the speed with which everything happened. She brought me to tears on page 55 with a discussion about the first AFL player to come out. Their story, along with others within this book made me feel like, finally, my sport is inclusive!
She has then gone into some deep interviews with players and coaches about what the AFLW means for them as a person, player or coach. There are some extremely personal moments that they have shared that will touch your heart. Open and honest, they talk about their football careers and what led them to where they are today with their involvement in the sport.
I will be forever thankful that the next generation will never know how hard these ladies and gents had to work to get this momentus competition up and running. I am also thankful to Samantha Lane for delving into these stories and bringing them to us as a way to remind us that these superstars of AFL are human.
June 27, 2018
I heard Samantha Lane interviewed by Will Anderson on his Wilosophy podcast. She was talking about the WAFL and how she was introduced to it. I loved the interview so much I bought the book.
I know nothing about AFL and am not from Australia so the first part of the book which describes how the WAFL came about was at points difficult to follow because the material was unfamiliar. The overall story however is really inspiring and demonstrates what happens when you give women a chance in an area people maybe didn't even know they wanted one in. I think this is a key message of the book, because if you don't see women doing something it's easy to assume they're not interested when really they just haven't been given the opportunity.
Following on from that it has stories of some of the players and how they came to be playing AFL. These stories demonstrate the diversity of these women, their passion for the game and in many instances their resilience in the face of all kinds of obstacles, even if you have zero interest in sports these make for great reading.
I would definately recommend to anyone who is interested in feminism or sports and anyone who enjoys memoirs.
I know nothing about AFL and am not from Australia so the first part of the book which describes how the WAFL came about was at points difficult to follow because the material was unfamiliar. The overall story however is really inspiring and demonstrates what happens when you give women a chance in an area people maybe didn't even know they wanted one in. I think this is a key message of the book, because if you don't see women doing something it's easy to assume they're not interested when really they just haven't been given the opportunity.
Following on from that it has stories of some of the players and how they came to be playing AFL. These stories demonstrate the diversity of these women, their passion for the game and in many instances their resilience in the face of all kinds of obstacles, even if you have zero interest in sports these make for great reading.
I would definately recommend to anyone who is interested in feminism or sports and anyone who enjoys memoirs.
February 10, 2018
I am so passionate about the AFLW that I will read ANYTHING about it that I can get my hands on, so when I saw Sam Lane had a book out that is not only about AFLW but features the stories of some of my very favourite AFLW people I went out looking for it right away.
The first chapter, on the challenges faced by women's football, and women in football, in general, as well as the setting up of the league, felt a bit heavy and journalist-y.
But once I got to the individual stories I flew through. Lane clearly has an incredible talent for helping people to open up about their stories, and you can feel her compassion for the subjects and their trust in her in every single chapter. I would love for there to be a follow up book with more stories about the people behind AFLW!
The first chapter, on the challenges faced by women's football, and women in football, in general, as well as the setting up of the league, felt a bit heavy and journalist-y.
But once I got to the individual stories I flew through. Lane clearly has an incredible talent for helping people to open up about their stories, and you can feel her compassion for the subjects and their trust in her in every single chapter. I would love for there to be a follow up book with more stories about the people behind AFLW!
January 20, 2021
A perfectly adequate book, nothing more and nothing less. A thorough overview of the general history and launch of the AFLW competition, with interviews with various figures. These range from very good (Kirby Bently) and good (Bec Goddard & Craig Starcevich) to rather generic and similar stories (all the players) to embarassingly bad (Tayla Harris' chapter).
All of the players stories were more or less the same - loved football, hit 12/13/14, couldn't play any more, then they were sidelined for 5 years before they could play with adults. While the narrative itslef is interesting, when it's rehashed multiple times it loses any interesting aspects, especially for somene like me who has already understood these things.
Kirby Bentley's is much more personal, much more cultural, and easily the best of the lot, even if you had no interest in football it's interesting storytelling. The coaches, who both arrived at the same place from very, very different beginnings, are also very interesting. Tayla Harris' is just awful, though. She gave the author nothing to work with, which is a shame, because from all reports she's a very nice person, but she seems to lack any media savviness in terms of interviews. If Tayla Harris wasn't one of the most iconic people in the industry, there is no way that chapter would've been included in the book. Even though she is (and has become even more so since it's publishing) it still shouldn't have been.
All of the players stories were more or less the same - loved football, hit 12/13/14, couldn't play any more, then they were sidelined for 5 years before they could play with adults. While the narrative itslef is interesting, when it's rehashed multiple times it loses any interesting aspects, especially for somene like me who has already understood these things.
Kirby Bentley's is much more personal, much more cultural, and easily the best of the lot, even if you had no interest in football it's interesting storytelling. The coaches, who both arrived at the same place from very, very different beginnings, are also very interesting. Tayla Harris' is just awful, though. She gave the author nothing to work with, which is a shame, because from all reports she's a very nice person, but she seems to lack any media savviness in terms of interviews. If Tayla Harris wasn't one of the most iconic people in the industry, there is no way that chapter would've been included in the book. Even though she is (and has become even more so since it's publishing) it still shouldn't have been.
April 10, 2018
A ripping sports book.
Sam Lane draws on a huge knowledge of football to draw out the nuances and importance of an elite national women's competition for those who fought for it and broader society.
Let's see what we create is the message of the AFLW and this book acknowledges that 'what we create' is dictated by the players, their pathway, corporate support and messaging, fans and society. All the layers are skilfully presented and understood.
The first section of the book is about the history of the development of the comp. Jan Cooper is a hero and Andrew Demetriou the villain with a blindspot. He sees himself as championing the women's game by creating a development role for women's football, when what was required was leadership to a conpetition. Lane is remarkably tender with Demetriou, not pulling punches, but allowing him the comfort of his context, which we've all wanted to retreat to when we come up short.
The second, longer section involves 10 extended profiles of prominent participants in the league. There are are lots of interrsting highlights but I want to relate more about the overall reflections I had that were really life affirming. Women's footballers are not presented as the same types of heroes as men and I think because Lane lets them tell their own story, by and large, we get a thrilling array of what it means to be elite, rather than the cookie cutter of men's sports stories. Men's biographies usually skip the relationships part because it's either too cheezy or sleazy to enter into, while here we get honest and appropriate talk about a range of relationships and how families, friendships and romances have contributed to a foorball journey. The fact that the footballers are presented as humans just helps you to sit and listen to the story and takes away any expectations of what you want the story to be. I just loved feeling like I had met the players in these profiles, and they had their own truth presented, I think that's what I mean by affirming. I am sure most of the men would like to be presented and understood in the same way and being given the freedom of not having to toe the line on norms expected of male footballers.
The other highlight is similar, but just how rich the possibilities are for this league and for Australia off the back of it. By dealing with the issues of gender, power, and inclusion in footy we might get better as a nation at thinking about and discussing equality, inclusion, cultural growth, and opportunity, harking back to AFLW as an example. Again I thought the cultural impact of the league for women was presented with such clarity that it will help to translate that conversation into other areas well.
Sam Lane draws on a huge knowledge of football to draw out the nuances and importance of an elite national women's competition for those who fought for it and broader society.
Let's see what we create is the message of the AFLW and this book acknowledges that 'what we create' is dictated by the players, their pathway, corporate support and messaging, fans and society. All the layers are skilfully presented and understood.
The first section of the book is about the history of the development of the comp. Jan Cooper is a hero and Andrew Demetriou the villain with a blindspot. He sees himself as championing the women's game by creating a development role for women's football, when what was required was leadership to a conpetition. Lane is remarkably tender with Demetriou, not pulling punches, but allowing him the comfort of his context, which we've all wanted to retreat to when we come up short.
The second, longer section involves 10 extended profiles of prominent participants in the league. There are are lots of interrsting highlights but I want to relate more about the overall reflections I had that were really life affirming. Women's footballers are not presented as the same types of heroes as men and I think because Lane lets them tell their own story, by and large, we get a thrilling array of what it means to be elite, rather than the cookie cutter of men's sports stories. Men's biographies usually skip the relationships part because it's either too cheezy or sleazy to enter into, while here we get honest and appropriate talk about a range of relationships and how families, friendships and romances have contributed to a foorball journey. The fact that the footballers are presented as humans just helps you to sit and listen to the story and takes away any expectations of what you want the story to be. I just loved feeling like I had met the players in these profiles, and they had their own truth presented, I think that's what I mean by affirming. I am sure most of the men would like to be presented and understood in the same way and being given the freedom of not having to toe the line on norms expected of male footballers.
The other highlight is similar, but just how rich the possibilities are for this league and for Australia off the back of it. By dealing with the issues of gender, power, and inclusion in footy we might get better as a nation at thinking about and discussing equality, inclusion, cultural growth, and opportunity, harking back to AFLW as an example. Again I thought the cultural impact of the league for women was presented with such clarity that it will help to translate that conversation into other areas well.
July 16, 2018
If you love AFLW, and the spirit behind it, this book is for you. Sam Lane has done a great job of slipping behind the scenes in this book that profiles some of the marquee players and some who are not, with equal vigour.
The first chapter, which outlines how the AFLW competition finally happened, is the most journalistic in the book. The rest of the book is so much more engaging and resonant. It shows just how diverse the players and coaches are in this brave new world and celebrates them all. I loved reading about Kirby Bentley (who I did not know much about at all, despite the fact that for a while she played for Melbourne - oops); her family, her home town and her road to playing AFLW for Fremantle. And reading about AFLW Crows coach Bec Goddard; her commitment to the game, and her hopes for the future, broke my heart as I read it already knowing that she has had to walk away from her greatest passion because she could not earn her living from it as she wanted to.
The thing that comes through most is that these women, and one man - Craig Starcevich - have been treated pretty shabbily by the AFL, who are happy to ride the wave from the surge of interest in the women's competition, but are bloody miserly with the money to help it grow properly - not just in terms of player pay, but also in terms of development, coaching and scheduling. I really hope the AFL can sort itself out on these issues, because the other thing that is CRYSTAL clear is that all the AFLW personnel featured in Roar love the game. The highs, the lows, the injuries, the wins and losses - they love it all and just want to be a bigger part of it. Sam Lane's book is, as the great Robert Murphy is quoted saying on the front cover: "A powerful and timely call to arms." It certainly is.
Recommended for all footy lovers, and those who want to see the AFLW grow into what it should be.
The first chapter, which outlines how the AFLW competition finally happened, is the most journalistic in the book. The rest of the book is so much more engaging and resonant. It shows just how diverse the players and coaches are in this brave new world and celebrates them all. I loved reading about Kirby Bentley (who I did not know much about at all, despite the fact that for a while she played for Melbourne - oops); her family, her home town and her road to playing AFLW for Fremantle. And reading about AFLW Crows coach Bec Goddard; her commitment to the game, and her hopes for the future, broke my heart as I read it already knowing that she has had to walk away from her greatest passion because she could not earn her living from it as she wanted to.
The thing that comes through most is that these women, and one man - Craig Starcevich - have been treated pretty shabbily by the AFL, who are happy to ride the wave from the surge of interest in the women's competition, but are bloody miserly with the money to help it grow properly - not just in terms of player pay, but also in terms of development, coaching and scheduling. I really hope the AFL can sort itself out on these issues, because the other thing that is CRYSTAL clear is that all the AFLW personnel featured in Roar love the game. The highs, the lows, the injuries, the wins and losses - they love it all and just want to be a bigger part of it. Sam Lane's book is, as the great Robert Murphy is quoted saying on the front cover: "A powerful and timely call to arms." It certainly is.
Recommended for all footy lovers, and those who want to see the AFLW grow into what it should be.
March 5, 2018
This is an excellent book for anyone interested in AFL football or womens sport.
Sam Lane first runs through a detailed and fascinating history of the last decade of womens AFL - specifically how decisions were made and the pieces put in place which eventually resulted in the AFLW - not just the positive stories, but also laying out the roadblocks which stood in the way (and still do), and then analysing the first year of the competition.
The rest of the book is a series of mini-biographies of key characters: nine players and two coaches. She does a great job of telling the stories of how they came to football, their backgrounds, their families and their motivations, as well as their experiences of the first season of the sport. They're all very different characters and there's a lot of stuff I didn't know about before reading this book. Well worth it!
Sam Lane first runs through a detailed and fascinating history of the last decade of womens AFL - specifically how decisions were made and the pieces put in place which eventually resulted in the AFLW - not just the positive stories, but also laying out the roadblocks which stood in the way (and still do), and then analysing the first year of the competition.
The rest of the book is a series of mini-biographies of key characters: nine players and two coaches. She does a great job of telling the stories of how they came to football, their backgrounds, their families and their motivations, as well as their experiences of the first season of the sport. They're all very different characters and there's a lot of stuff I didn't know about before reading this book. Well worth it!
March 30, 2018
A great read which made me think about what I want to achieve with my own life. I bought this book after hearing Sam Lane speak at the Wheeler Centre. I was impressed by her openness, convictions, and novel ideas about what could be done better in the AFLW. The book is full of the same. I loved the fact that it delved into the stories of some lesser-known players as well as the biggest stars.
At times a bit overwritten (especially in the opening chapter when I had to really concentrate to get through the adjective-laden sentences).
At times a bit overwritten (especially in the opening chapter when I had to really concentrate to get through the adjective-laden sentences).
April 23, 2018
Kudos to Samantha J Lane for gaining and honouring the trust of her subjects in this fabulous, passionate story of the creation of the AFLW. My only complaint is wanting MORE - more chapters talking to even more people, and an update reflecting on the second season (including what on earth happened behind the scenes at Carlton?!?!)
June 13, 2020
An incredibly thoroughly researched insight into the personalities that forged what we now know and love as AFLW. In many ways, I found reading it now, several years after it was written, to be more enlightening. It gave some valuable perspective to the stories of the women therein. Overall, a very important addition to the canon of Australian Rules Football literature.
December 23, 2018
Really enjoyed the individual players stories but I felt the writing could be a bit clunky at times. A fantastic insight into the AFLW.
July 13, 2019
A really good book which taught me a lot and was well written, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
August 13, 2020
A good heart warming read in a year without footy. Solidified my opinion of a bunch of good eggs. Only Tayla Harris stands apart...she sure didn't do herself any favours.
April 3, 2018
great read about the debut of the AFLW & the many 'humble warriors' who chipped away to get it happening. Sam Lane captures so many of the challenges, the writing is descriptive and captivating. Sam should consider herself one of the warriors.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews