- Sal Rees made history in the 1995 AFL draft
- He died on Monday after suffering an episode of health shock
The AFL world is mourning the death of women’s football pioneer Sal Rees, who died on Monday aged 58 after bringing women’s football to national attention over the course of her groundbreaking career.
The Aussie Rules icon passed away in hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm that left her with catastrophic brain damage, and AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said today’s AFLW would never have been possible without pioneers like her.
Rees made national headlines in 1995 when she became the first and so far only woman to nominate and be accepted into the AFL draft.
A standout player and journeyman for the Darebin Falcons, she became the first player to reach the 200-game mark in the VFLW.
“Back then women’s football was totally different to how it is now, we really struggled to get any publicity,” Rees said of her historic 1995 decision on an AFL podcast.
“There were a lot of articles in the media that were quite negative and generally people’s idea was that women shouldn’t play football.
The death of trailblazer Sal Rees (pictured right with football partner Leesa Catto holding the 2024 AFLW premiership trophy) has left the football world in mourning.
Rees (pictured) became the first and so far only woman to nominate for the AFL draft in a shock decision that generated headlines in 1995.
“We loved playing, we worked hard on our skills and fitness, and with the draft approaching I thought I was going to nominate him for this just to get it out there.”
‘I sent the form in the mail and thought nothing was going to happen, until I got a phone call from Channel Seven, and then it hit the media and it was crazy.
‘The message was that women do play football and we needed them to listen to us and take us seriously. “It started a big debate about women and what their role is in football.”
Rees, who is survived by family including his wife Barb, was greeted by Dillon on Tuesday.
“The current AFLW competition, which now has 540 paid athletes representing all 18 clubs, would be impossible without the vision, determination and passion of pioneers in women’s football like Sal Rees,” Dillon said.
The great star of women’s soccer, Darcy Vescio, also praised the legend.
AFL boss Andrew Dillon said today’s AFLW competition would not have been possible without innovators like Rees (right).
“He was an amazing person, he always lit up the room he was in,” Vescio said. news corporation.
“She had a beautiful presence and being around her was really special.”
The Darebin Falcons released a statement regarding the big club.
“Gone too soon, Sal was an important pioneer of women’s sport and particularly critical to the establishment and continued leadership of our Club,” it said.
As a life member of the club, she was one of the few Falcons to play all 4 sports: football, soccer, 8-ball and cricket, and was also president of the Victorian Women’s Eight-ball Association.
“Such was Sal’s impact, our Club Person of the Year award is named in his honour.”