From Garðabær to Adelaide, Jenna McCormick is no stranger to change.
Fresh off the back of competing in Iceland’s premier female soccer competition, the multi-talented 22-year-old has been drafted by the Crows ahead of the inaugural AFL Women’s season to begin in February next year.
Just two weeks ago, she was celebrating winning the Úrvalsdeild kvenna title with Stjarnan in her first international soccer season, but now attention turns to a different compeition and a new set of challenges.
“It’s been in the back of my head for a while, the possibility that I might get to play footy professionally if a national league was introduced, but I’ve obviously been focused on my soccer,” McCormick said.
“Iceland was an amazing experience, it was very difficult at times but winning made it all worth it.
“And now, a week after returning to Australia I’m going to be playing with the Crows and it’s exciting.
“It’s all coming to life very quickly.”
Having represented the Brisbane Lions in an exhibition game back in April and starring with three goals, McCormick is now looking forward to putting together a full season of AFL football.
“I’m really looking forward to focusing on footy more seriously,” McCormick said.
“There’s never been this opportunity before so it’s really exciting.”
However, the AFL women’s season is not the only competition McCormick is preparing for.
In less than a month, the W-League begins in Australia and the dual-sport dynamo is set to ply her trade at Canberra United for a second season.
Juggling sporting commitments is nothing new to McCormick. She grew up playing football, soccer and cricket, and believes the upcoming W-League season will have her in perfect condition come February.
“I’ve been managing commitments across soccer, footy and cricket all my life so I’m not worried about balancing the two, I’ll just have to make sure I’m organised,” she said.
“I think the swap from professional soccer to professional footy will be more mentally challenging for me than physically.”
McCormick, who grew up in Mt Gambier and attended boarding school in Adelaide, has spent the last few years splitting her time between Brisbane and Canberra fulfilling soccer and AFL commitments.
Before moving to Canberra, she played with Adelaide United (Lady Reds) and has also played national cricket.
McCormick joins professional basketballers Erin Phillips and Anne Hatchard at the Crows, adding to the ever-growing list of athletes that excel in multiple disciplines.
“When I was younger there wasn’t any Australian Rules competitions for girls, especially in Mt Gambier, so I think it was natural for many girls to pursue other sports and now it’s fantastic that there is this opportunity.”
