In many cultures, girls grow up being encouraged to be gentle, reserved, and conflict-averse.
So when they step onto an Australian Rules football field for the first time, something extraordinary happens -
their bodies and their cultural conditioning collide.
In our Women of Footy series, we invited four players from the Shanghai Dockers to share what team sport has meant to them.
Their stories tell a journey from fearing physical contact to embracing it with confidence;
from “I’m not sure I can,” to “I’m willing to try,” and ultimately, “I can do this.”
Footy didn’t just build their strength - it reshaped their mindset.
Through falling, being tackled, and standing up again, they learned how to set boundaries, express their needs, and trust the power of a team.
Team sport unlocked a new kind of support system for them:
someone running beside you,
someone blocking for you,
someone offering a hand when you fall.
This trust and connection opened a new understanding of what “female strength” can look like in an Asian context.
To these women, footy is not only a sport -
it is a cultural shift,
a reclamation of space,
and a journey of rediscovering who they can be.
Here, they found courage.
They found community.
They found resilience.
They found a new, expanding sense of vitality and expression.
This is Women of Footy.
#aflasia #aflchina #howgoodisfootyinasia #aflw #womeninsport
We are Outer Lane Studio. A creative media team in Shanghai, China. Reach out if you have a project that you're interested in creating!
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Some of my favourites from a very cool dance shoot! The only downside, I have a pussy cat dolls song stuck in my head weeks later
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#iloveshanghai #dancephotography #studioshoot #canonr5 #portraitphotography
A very glamorous shoot for V Zug, featuring models such as: wine fridge, washing machine, and man with book
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#shanghai #vzug #homephotography #ilovechina #eventdecor #eventphotography
No, YOU look like a bad GAP commercial. Don’t say it. I’ve heard it too many times already 😂
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#shanghai #productphotography #wavex #filmstyle #ilovechina #中国
I’m a little film camera nerd now. Contact me for nerdy little film photos which probably take skill and patience and expensive rolls of film. But anyway, went to Seoul last week and took some piccies.
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#imbetterthanyoucauseishootfilm #filmphotography #seoul #travelnerd #southkoreatourism
