Sal Rees

Sal Rees
Rees in 1995
Personal information
Full name Sally Rees[1][2]
Date of birth (1966-09-21)21 September 1966[3]
Date of death 23 December 2024(2024-12-23) (aged 58)
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
199?−200? Darebin 200+
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
2001−2002 Darebin
Career highlights
  • VWFL premiership player: 1996

Sally Rees (21 September 1966 – 23 December 2024) was an Australian rules footballer and official.[4]

Widely considered a pioneer of women's football, Rees was the first person to play 200 games in the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL).[5] She was a founding member of the Darebin Women's Sports Club, and was also involved with the Pascoe Vale Sports Club as a player and coach.[6][7]

Career

The Fairfield Falcons Football Club was formed in 1987, but the club was on the verge of folding by 1990.[8] A group of women wanting to play football, including Rees, revived the club under the same name and the Falcons returned to the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL) in 1991.[9] Rees became the club's president in 1994.[10]

In 1995, Rees caused controversy when she became the first women to nominate for the draft of the men's Australian Football League (AFL).[11] Rees wanted to promote women playing football, and her nomination resulted in the AFL amending its draft rules to prevent such an incident happening again.[12] The following year, she played in the Falcons' inaugural VWFL premiership.[13]

Rees instigated the club's name change to "Darebin Falcons" in 2000.[10][14] She became Darebin's playing coach in 2001 but stepped down from the role at the end of the 2002 VWFL season.[10][15]

In 2005, Rees became the first person to play 200 games in the VWFL.[10][16]

Personal life and death

Rees suffered catastrophic brain damage following a brain aneurysm on 21 December 2024, and died in hospital two days later surrounded by family members, including her wife Barb.[17] AFL CEO Andrew Dillon was among those who paid tribute to Rees, saying the AFL Women's competition "would be impossible without the vision, determination and passion of trailblazers in women's football like Sal Rees".[18]

References

  1. ^ "VWFL Life Members". Victorian Women's Football League. Archived from the original on 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  2. ^ "New Coaching Structure Set For Success At Pascoe Vale". Essendon District Football League. 2 April 2018. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  3. ^ "It is with the heaviest of hearts & great sadness that we share the sudden passing of Sal Rees, who sustained a brain aneurysm on Saturday, leaving us at age 58". Facebook. Pascoe Vale Football Club. 24 December 2024. Archived from the original on 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  4. ^ "Celebrating Sal Rees, Footy Legend". The Sports Bra. 14 January 2025. Archived from the original on 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Milestones". Victorian Women's Football League. Archived from the original on 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  6. ^ Heverin, Dane (24 December 2024). "Women's footy pioneer who once entered the men's draft passes away aged 58". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 25 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  7. ^ "Vale Sal Rees". Essendon District Football League. 24 December 2024. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  8. ^ "Our History". Darebin Falcons. Archived from the original on 11 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Chapter 1 – The Founding Story". Darebin Falcons. 1 January 2020. Archived from the original on 24 January 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d Riddell, Trish (23 December 2024). "Vale Sal Rees - a tribute". Darebin Falcons. Archived from the original on 11 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  11. ^ "Preview: 2015 AFL Women's Draft". GameDay. AFL Canada. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  12. ^ Hanlon, Peter (8 March 2016). "AFL: Sal Rees recalls how the draft against women's footy changed direction". The Age. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  13. ^ "Chapter 2 – Ballarat and the First Premiership". Darebin Falcons. 20 February 2020. Archived from the original on 21 January 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  14. ^ "Darebin Women's Sports Club". makeadifference.volunteering.nsw.gov.au. NSW Government. Archived from the original on 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  15. ^ "Chapter 6 – Parkside joins Darebin". Darebin Falcons. 1 June 2020. Archived from the original on 24 January 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  16. ^ "First woman to play 200 games". GameDay. Victorian Women's Football League. 4 January 2008. Archived from the original on 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  17. ^ Dann, Emily (23 December 2024). "Tributes for Sal Rees, the first woman to play 200 VFLW games". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 23 December 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  18. ^ "Vale Sal Rees, women's football pioneer and 'unheralded warrior'". AFL.com.au. 24 December 2024. Archived from the original on 14 February 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
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