When Crows AFLW co-captain Chelsea Randall visited Singapore last week, she was shocked to see the country had one of the largest junior football clubs in the world.
The Singapore Sharks have over 460 players in their ranks and Randall and her fellow premiership winning teammate Eloise Jones travelled to meet some of their club members.
This year, the club put a call out to commence their girls program for it’s third year, hoping for 20-30 players.
When an astounding 130 girls signed up, the Sharks president Anthony Thompson tried to get some AFLW players invovled in their end of season trophy presentation and Randall and Jones were the lucky two.
They visited the Australian International School where the two players shared their stories, challenges and key messages to both the high school athlete development program participants and over 200 year six students.
Randall said though she’s often nervous to share her story, she understands the value and impact it can have on others.
“Every opportunity to speak is an opportunity to share and inspire,” Randall said.
“’EJ’ (Jones) was outstanding, being only 20 years old, she is incredibly mature for her age and the students were in awe of her story and humility.
“She’s an upcoming leader for this club in my eyes.”
CROWS IN NAURU: Randall, Foley and Gore visit the country as footy mad as Australia
At the Sharks Trophy presentation, Randall and Jones handed out trophies, shared insights with the parents, signed autographs, posed in photos and even joined in on the games.
“We ended up playing all of the girls and boys games and I couldn’t work out who had more fun, EJ and I or the kids,” Randall said with a laugh.
“It was about 10 short matches in the humidity with the kids, and they all had a ball.”
When asked why Randall decided to go to Singapore for this event, her response reflected her passions and values.
“Having lived in a regional town for a few years and not having access to female football, I’m really passionate about giving back to communities,” Randall said.
“I want to help promote the game to more boys and girls and ensure regional or international kids are still given these opportunities, because it’s more than a game, it’s a sense of belonging and inclusivity.
“I love working with young people – they’re the next generation, the next leaders and the next decision makers that influence the direction we are heading.
“Plus I love travelling and learning more about other cultures, I feel so thankful to have the opportunity to combine some of these passions.”
Randall and Jones left Singapore as honorary members of the Sharks family, having been gifted their very own Sharks guernsey.
While Randall has just returned to home soil, she’ll soon be packing again to visit teammate Ailish Considine in Ireland and play a few games of Gaelic Football.
