For me women’s footy is way better to look at than the men’s game.
Just look at the teamwork, skill, strength and joy in this passage of play from last Saturday’s Spurs-Eagles clash at the Merv Hughes Oval in beautiful parkland on the banks of the Maribyrnong River:
A great chaos ball into the forward pocket from Parkside Spurs number 26 leads to winger no 4 leaving her Yarraville Seddon opponent flat footed to kick a goal.
What’s not to love?
Geoff Fox, 16th June, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
Port Melbourne footballer Maddy “Maddawg” Patterson was a tree planter but now she’s a sparky. (Electrician.)
Her focus and concentration on the game and on her team is cool, calm, poised and beautiful.
And what is it on the field that drives Maddawg’s commitment to her club and her nation’s native game?
It’s wonderful goals like this sublimely skilled evasion of opponents by teammate Kaitlyn O’Keefe:
Geoff Fox, June 15, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
If you want to see the best football code in the world, you have to visit Australia in April-September.
Women are rising in western society in all spheres of life. In the picture above North Melbourne defender and co-vice captian Nicole “Flash” Bresnehan points her fellow players to move forward attacking the goal.
If the rise in women means a rise in misandry, then men should be very very concerned. But if it means better sharing and caring, we will all be better off.
And when it means that football is becoming more beautiful, more collaborative and more impassioned, then I love seeing the shared leadership of women like Flash.
Geoff Fox, 7th June, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
The best thing about being in Melbourne, Australia, is watching the free flowing glories of Australian Rules football in the state where the game was born.
This clip is from an Australian Rules football game yesterday between Aberfeldie who wear dark shorts and have light blue on their jumpers. Their opponents Keilor wear bright blue shorts and have red and white bands on their bright blue jumpers.
A Keilor player won the hitout in the ruck contest, but an Aberfeldie player showed better anticipation and quicker reaction than her opponents to win the ball.
She very skillfully and accurately executes a kick called a drop punt to her teammate. A drop punt is a kick that spins end over end and therefore usually travels in a straight line when hitting the ground.
The ball’s next recipient made no mistakes in retaining possession for her team.
She promptly handpassed to a teammate in a much better position to kick it down field.
While on the run, the new ball carrier took her time to look for the best option downfield.
She made sure that the carefully considered kick cleared the hand of a Keilor player attempting to smother.
The kick arrives downfield in a really good position for an Aberfeldie player to pull off a clever one handed contested mark.
I love watching fast skillful free flowing football, especially the rapidly rising female Aussie Rules action.
Its the best part of Australia for me.
Geoff Fox, 18th May, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
The day I took this photo of Melbourne ruckwoman Georgia Campbell being tackled at training by key forward Tayla Harris, the configuration of elbows, heads and hands caught my eye as something special.
Together, the two players looked like a Lotus Flower – the Buddhist symbol of purity, spiritual enlightenment and rebirth.
I asked Tay if she’d like a song to be written about it and she said she’d prefer a rap. So I tried (without huge ability in the art form) to make one. (click here)
In Melbourne, Aussie Rules football is often called a religion.
Could the game become more Buddhist ?
And could that help to make a better world ?
Geoff Fox, May 15, 2025, Melbourne, Australia
Individual excellence in footy is great to watch but it is more often team efforts that produce success.
In this footage the two are combined.
One North Footscray player (red and white) smothers the kick of his Albanvale opponent allowing a teammate to take possession of the ball and goal.
Geoff Fox, 11th March, 2025, Australia
FOOTY FOR FREEDOM 