ICYMI: Port Adelaide star Ash Saint is making waves in her community – educating young women about what healthy relationships look like, and how to identify red flags that can often lead to abusive relationships.
The Port Adelaide initiative, called Empowered and led by Ash, unpacks the structural and social factors that reinforce gender equality – and the team are engaging over 1,600 students in 25 schools this year.
So why is leading a program like Empowered important to Ash?
“It means a lot to me and our club that we have an impact and see change. Our programs are more than a photo opportunity,” she tells Missing Perspectives. “We know there are issues in society where women in particular have been the target of violence and abuse, with almost 40% of Australian women experiencing some form of violence from the age of 15 onwards. We just want to play our part in giving young women the tools they need around self-care and understanding what a healthy relationship looks like.
“I think the biggest benefit to come from our club’s Empowered program is the confidence I’ve seen build in the young women who take part. By including our AFLW players and other high achieving and inspiring women in these programs as role models, we hope to tell our stories and help the next generation of leaders emerge. The students often inspire us too.”
If it’s not clear already, Ash is equally talented on the field as she is making a change off the field in her community. Ash tells Missing Perspectives that she was “pretty active” growing up. “I think I signed up for just about every sporting or athletics carnival I could in school. I always liked football and followed Port Adelaide in the AFL. I was lucky enough to play some state football as a teenager,” she says.
“I set myself a goal to play in the AFLW and after playing some good footy with North Adelaide in the SANFLW I was lucky enough to get drafted to Melbourne when I was 20, back in 2018. While things didn’t work out there I learnt a lot and I’m grateful to all of my previous clubs for the support the people there gave me.”
She says that one of the biggest challenges she faced was being drafted to Melbourne, with the move away from home leading her to lose her love for the game. “I made the call to step away and come home to Adelaide to play at the local level again with some friends, and hopefully regain that passion.”
She was soon called up to the Adelaide Crows, and played a key role in their Premiership campaign in 2022.
“I was so lucky to have great support around me and eventually I got a second chance in the AFLW with the Crows. I am grateful to have had that experience because that’s when I learnt a lot about myself and what drives me.”
It’s such an exciting time for the AFLW as women’s sports continue to gain momentum across the country – and the AFLW audience keeps growing. “I think you can see now a lot of the girls coming into the competition have played footy for their whole lives. The skill level is higher and the speed and intensity just gets better every year. As we get more games each season the standard keeps growing.”
Ash is truly making a social impact – both through inspiring young women on the field, and through Empowered.
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