Erin Phillips Makes History as SANFL's First Woman Inductee

When Erin Phillips was growing up in Adelaide, all she wanted was to play football like her father, but there were no opportunities for girls in the sport she loved.

On Monday night, that same determined kid became the first woman inducted into South Australia's Football Hall of Fame, receiving the league's highest honor alongside legendary commentator Bruce McAvaney and premiership players Neil Button and Tony Burgan.

Phillips' journey to this historic moment took her around the world and back. After being forced to give up junior football as a teenager due to limited opportunities for women, she switched to basketball and became a double WNBA championship player.

When the AFL Women's league launched in 2017, Phillips finally got her chance to return to her first love. She joined the Adelaide Crows as captain and made every game count, leading her team to three AFLW premierships while winning the league's best and fairest award twice.

Her dominance on the field was undeniable. She earned best-on-ground honors in both the 2017 and 2019 AFLW Grand Finals, showcasing the talent that had been waiting for an opportunity all along.

In 2022, Phillips became Port Adelaide's inaugural AFLW captain, bringing her career full circle to her father Greg's former club, where he won multiple SANFL premierships.

Why This Inspires

Phillips' induction represents more than personal achievement. Every time she stepped onto the field, she carried the weight of countless women who never got their chance to play.

"I could've missed that opportunity, and I get so many women that come up to me that played or just wish they had the opportunity that missed the boat," Phillips said at the ceremony. "So, every game I felt that I was never going to take it for granted."

Her recognition at the highest level of South Australian football sends a powerful message to every young girl dreaming of playing the sport. The barriers that once forced Phillips to choose a different path no longer exist, and her Hall of Fame jacket proves that women's contributions to football are finally being honored alongside the men who shaped the game.

McAvaney, who called more than 1,000 AFL games and 20 grand finals during his career, shared the stage with Phillips, reflecting on his own unlikely journey from calling local SANFL matches in 1978 to becoming one of Australia's most beloved sports voices.

The night also celebrated Norwood's Nik Rokahr, who won the Magarey Medal with one of the highest vote tallies in the award's history, becoming the first player ever to win both a Magarey Medal and a WAFL Sandover Medal.

The doors Erin Phillips kicked down are now wide open for the next generation.