Before the days of when AFLW graced our television screens, the opportunities to see sportswomen in action were relatively slim.
Outside the Olympics, the various editions of the Australian Netball League was one of the few televised competitions where young girls could see women playing sport in a professional environment.
While netball and basketball stadiums are packed to the brim at around 20,000 seated spectators, the capacity of football stadiums have brought record crowds to the women's game.
The AFL were reportedly expecting an attendance of around 25,000 for the AFLW grand final between Adelaide and Carlton on Sunday afternoon.
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Yet when the attendance figures were splashed across the scoreboard, no fewer than 53,034 fans turning out to watch the premiership decider. That number was the biggest for a female sporting event in Australian history.
A number which staggered seemingly everybody, including the players themselves.
Even after fourteen years playing in the WNBA, Adelaide superstar Erin Phillips was left astonished by the turn-out.
"When I was walking around on my crutches looking at the crowd I couldn't believe there were kids everywhere," she told RSN Breakfast Club.
"So many kids getting to watch the game and dreaming of playing on the Adelaide Oval in front of 53,000 that's got to be inspiring.
"To have finished basketball and have gone to play AFLW, I didn’t know how that was going to turnout nor how big it was going to be.
"It has just been mind-blowing. I would have never guessed or pictured what it was going to be like."
Adding to her pile of growing allocades, Phillips earned the AFLW best and fairest award for the second time and picked up the best-on-ground medal in the grand final. The 33-year-old's phenomenal 2019 season earned her 19 of a possible 21 votes, handing her the medal with two rounds to spare.
After seeing the number of young faces cheering on the Crows from the stands, Phillips recognises that sportswomen are vital role models for young girls who aspire to play professional sport.
“We live in a complex day-and-age with social media and young people need role models," she added.
“I know how important it is to have role models and to have people to look up to. I was very fortunate because I had people like Rachael Sporn, Lauren Jackson and Michele Timms.
“I love the fact that I am a role model but that doesn’t put any pressure on how I play the game. I’m just being me.
“I just want to be someone that people can relate to and aspire to be like and I think that is just so important.”
2x AFLW Premiership (best on ground in both games)
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) April 2, 2019
2x AFLPA Player of the Year
Gold Medallist at the 2006 FIBA World Championships
Silver Medallist at the 2008 Olympics
2x @WNBA Champion
Tonight, Erin Phillips collected her second NAB AFL Women's Best and Fairest award. pic.twitter.com/5KKReYYhmE
The boisterous crowd rose as one as Phillips collapsed late in the third quarter of Adelaide's premiership victory. She returned just prior to the final siren on crutches and greeted fans before she joined teammates on the bench.
Scans confirmed that Phillips will require reconstructive surgery after tearing her ACL.
“I’m still in shock but I’ve just been rolling through one thing to the next," she said.
"I was just trying to focus on winning the grand final and how special that is. It’s going to be something that is going to inspire them all."
Although the co-captain will likely endure a twelve-months stint on the sidelines, she is yet to make a call on her football future.
