Adelaide Football Administration Executive Caitlin Brady has been awarded the prestigious Jill Lindsay Scholarship by the AFL.

The scholarship was established in 2011 to support the further development and career aspirations of talented women who are regarded as rising stars within the AFL industry.

It is named in memory of Jill Lindsay who spent over four decades with the VFL/AFL and was a trailblazer for women in the industry before passing away after a battle with cancer in 2011.

“As we all know, Caitlin is the type of person every footy club needs. She’s a hard-working and elite sports administrator who is always willing to help and she’s passionate about all things Crows,” Adelaide CEO Tim Silvers said.

“Caitlin is certainly a rising star and the scholarship will assist her in completing advanced university education, focussed on sports administration and management, which will no doubt see her reach new heights, both personally and here at the Club.”

Brady was Adelaide’s women’s football operations manager from 2016 to 2017 before moving to Brisbane where she worked with the men’s program at the Lions as football projects manager.

She returned to West Lakes at the start of 2022 in her current role as football administration executive, playing a key role in the day to day administration and operations of the AFL program.

Brady was in Melbourne to receive the honour at the AFL’s Women’s Summit on Thursday morning and said the announcement was a pleasant surprise.

“It’s a privilege to receive the scholarship and a real honour because the AFL is making such a significant investment in women’s careers,” she said.

“Through this I hope to be able to forge a path for others to take the next step in their careers.

“Jill was a pioneer in the industry and I have a lot of respect for her and the pathway that she forged for me to have this opportunity in football from grass roots to the elite level.”