About

The Richmond Football Club fields a team in the premier national league for women, the AFL Women's competition. The club entered the league in 2020. For two seasons in 2018 and 2019, the club also fielded a team in the state-league level VFL Women's competition. The program, including development pathways, is presently overseen by the women's football operations manager, Kate Sheahan. History Richmond has a thin history with women's football, with the club connected to just two women's matches in the 20th century. The first occurred in 1923, with a team dubbed the "Tigresses" playing off against the club's junior men's team (Cubs) as a fundraiser for a VFL team's interstate trip. As was the case with women versus men charity matches in that era, the men's team competed in the match in full fancy dress attire and were hobbled at the knees. In what was a non-serious affair the women's side (9.14 (68)) defeated the Cubs side (0.1 (1)). In August 1933, however, an all women's match was held between teams representing the suburbs of Richmond and Carlton in a charity match. While the Carlton team was associated with the club itself, Richmond did not pair with the side that played under its moniker. The match, played at Carlton's home ground, Princes Park, drew an estimated crowd of 10,000 and raised funds as part of a VFL bye-week carnival for the Royal Melbourne Hospital. AFL Women's team In 2016, Richmond was among 13 AFL clubs to bid for licenses to compete in the soon to be formed AFL Women's competition. The club was one of five to miss out, instead being awarded provisional licenses guaranteeing access in later expansions. The following year they would again bid, this time winning the right to entry into the competition's fourth season, to be held in 2020. The club's first player signing came in the April 2019 expansion signing period, securing former Western Bulldogs captain Katie Brennan, who would go on to captain the club in its first season in the league.