All-Rounder Amber is set for the big stage
Fourteen-year-old Barkinji girl Amber Evans grew up in the small, remote town of Ivanhoe, more than 800 kilometres from Sydney. In 2014, she moved to Broken Hill and fell in love with the game of AFL after joining the West Broken Hill Football Club.
“My older brother Cassidy began playing AFL when we arrived in Broken Hill and he suggested I have a go,” Evans said.
“I started playing and found that I loved it even though there were no teams for girls my age and I had to play in the boys’ teams.”
From this introduction to AFL, Evans will now be representing New South Wales and the ACT at the 2017 National Female Diversity Championships to be held in Byron Bay from the 10th – 13th October.
Participating in the National Diversity Championships will allow Evans the opportunity not only to develop her footy skills but also to serve as a role model for others in her community.
“I’m from a fairly remote area and don’t have the chance to show many people what I am capable of, so I’m going to make the most of this fantastic opportunity and give it my all,” she said.
“I have proven myself to be a quick learner and am flexible and adaptable on the football field so I need to prove that I can demonstrate these qualities in the Championships.
“I would also like to show my family and the Indigenous community back at home that there are lots of opportunities open to us if we are willing to put in the effort and not give up.”
Evans has certainly made the most of the opportunities she’s been given in Broken Hill, an all-rounded athlete in addition to AFL she participates in many sports including athletics and swimming.
Her outstanding athleticism has seen her receive great recognition within her school and local community, including being awarded the Tackler of the Year for Rugby League in 2013 and the Best and Fairest Award for her Netball team in 2014.
In 2017, Evans was named AFL Broken Hill’s Most Consistent Player and has remained in the top six Best and Fairest players for her team over the past two years.
Although Evans is unsure of what she would like to do once she finishes school in a few years, she says she would certainly like to see football in her future, in particular the possibility of playing in the AFLW.
When asked about what it means to participate in the National Diversity Championships, Evans says she feels proud to represent not only New South Wales, but the Aboriginal community, the West Broken Hill Football Club and the female players of her town.
“I would like everyone to know that I will be doing my best at the Championships to make my family, community and team mates proud and to show all the people back at home at the footy club who have helped me get here that I am thankful for everything they have done.”
The 2017 National Diversity Championships will be held at the Cavanbah Centre Byron Bay from 10th – 13th October.
