Suzie Miller, an Australian playwright, interviewed various individuals involved in the AFLW to understand its creation, which led to her writing "Strong is the New Pretty", a fictional re-imagining of the events leading up to the league's formation. The play explores the seven-year battle to establish a professional national women's competition, as recommended by an 2010 AFL-commissioned report aimed at having it in place by 2020. Freshly drafted Brisbane Lions player Ally Anderson was part of the inaugural season and has since won two premierships and set the AFLW games record holder mark. Miller hopes her play will highlight the impact of the women's league on breaking down gender barriers, particularly among young boys who see girls as strong competitors.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
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same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Suzie Miller, an Australian playwright from Melbourne, grew up in a family that loved the Australian Football League (AFL), but she felt excluded because there were no girls playing. When the AFL announced plans for a women's league, AFLW, in 2017, Miller was thrilled and saw it as a "generational shift". She attended the inaugural grand final of the AFLW on the Gold Coast between the Brisbane Lions and the Adelaide Crows, where she witnessed a joyful and emotional atmosphere. Inspired by this event, Miller began interviewing people involved in the AFLW to learn more about its creation, leading her to develop the idea for her book "Strong is the New Pretty".
Written for “AFL Women's League Launch” on 2026-09-05,
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Leaning score withheld for article 4094: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-04
Growing up in Melbourne, Suzie Miller's family was footy mad.
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family → grow → Melbourne
But because there were no girls in the AFL, she felt excluded from the game and boycotted the sport her family loved.
She didn't give it much thought until 2017.
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She → be → 2017
"When they finally announced there was going to be a women's league, I thought, 'oh my goodness this is something I never even imagined,'" Miller said.
"I remember as a girl thinking, 'I can't even imagine girls being allowed to play football.
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girls → announce → football
"
The Australian playwright was invited to attend the first grand final of the AFLW on the Gold Coast in a match-up between the Brisbane Lions and the Adelaide Crows.
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playwright → invite → Lions
"Women were running out into a green field under a beautiful blue sky and all these little girls were cheering them on, and I just thought 'this is a generational shift,'" Miller said.
"There was just this air of joy throughout the evening, people were crying and laughing".
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people → run → evening
In awe of the inaugural grand final, Miller went to work interviewing various people involved in the AFLW to get a better understanding of how the league came to fruition.
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league → go → fruition
From that moment, the idea for Strong is the New Pretty was born.
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idea → bear → Strong
Miller has more than 40 acclaimed plays to her name, including sell-out 'RBG: Of Many, One' international phenomenon Prima Facie and Inter Alia which starred actress Rosamund Pike.
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which → have → Pike
Her new production is a fictional re-imagining of the true events that led to the formation of the women's league and has made its world premiere at the Brisbane Festival.
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that → lead → Festival
In 2010, a report into the state of the sport commissioned by the AFL recommended the creation of a professional national women's competition by 2020.
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report → commission → 2020
The play explores the seven-year battle to turn the idea of a women's league from a dream to reality.
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play → explore → reality
Freshly drafted Brisbane Lions player Ally Anderson was among the first group to take part in the inaugural season of the league.
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Anderson → draft → league
"Growing up, I never thought I would a professional athlete," Anderson said.
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Anderson → grow → ?
"In that first year I kept thinking this is a one-time thing, I remember at the end of the first season I took so many pictures of the change room, the Gabba and the girls".
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I → keep → room
Since that first season, Anderson has won two premierships, been the AFLW's best and fairest and is the AFLW's games record holder.
More than just sport
The play's premiere comes in the fourth round of the AFLW's 11th season.
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premiere → win → season
After she finished writing the play, Miller attended an under 9s girls game in Sydney where she witnessed young girls playing with their brothers cheering them on.
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girls → finish → them
"Australian rules football might be the great saviour of that great gender debate because these young boys will see these girls running around as strong competitive players, and they'll see them with strong bodies and loud voices," she said.
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she → see → bodies
"They won't grow up thinking of girls as weak or other or not equal to them, and that's what I hope people can take from this play — everyone should get a fair go".
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everyone → grow → go
The play tours around Australia, heading to Canberra, Geelong and Sydney next.
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play → tour → Canberra