Lauren Arnell (born 15 March 1987) is a retired

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er and senior coach of the

Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...

in the AFL Women's competition, having previously played for

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

and the Brisbane Lions. She served as Carlton's inaugural AFLW team captain in the 2017 season and won the 2021 premiership with the Brisbane Lions, before becoming 's inaugural coach in 2022.

Early life and state league football

Arnell played just one football match as a junior, in a school tournament in her last year of primary school. A talented state-level junior basketballer, Arnell next played football in 2005 while studying to be a teacher in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

. Arnell first played football competitively for

North Ballarat North Ballarat Football & Netball Club, nicknamed ''The Roosters'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based at Mars Stadium in Ballarat. The club currently fields senior, reserve and Under 19 sides in the Ballarat Football Lea ...

before moving to the Darebin Falcons in the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL) where she would win nine league premierships through the end of 2016. In 2010, Arnell was selected as one of forty players to participate in the women's AFL high-performance camp. As part of the program she played in a curtain-raiser exhibition match ahead of the round 12, 2010 AFL match between and . She has represented Victoria at the AFL Women's National Championship on six occasions and been selected three times as an All-Australian. Arnell was drafted by the with the twelfth overall pick in the 2013 exhibition series draft. She played for the club in exhibition series matches through the end of 2016.

Playing career

Carlton

Arnell was signed as a priority player by

in August 2016 ahead of the league's inaugural 2017 season. She had previously worked at the club in an off-field role, including in the development of Carlton's bid for a women's team licence. She was named the club's inaugural AFL Women's captain in January 2017. She made her debut in round 1,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, in the club and the league's inaugural match at Princes Park against . Carlton signed Arnell for the 2018 season during the trade period in May 2017. She was replaced as captain by

Brianna Davey Brianna Iris Davey (born 13 January 1995) is an Australian footballer in both the Association football (soccer) and Australian rules football codes. In soccer, she was a goalkeeper for the national women's team the Matildas and played in the W ...

in 2018, instead taking on the role of co-vice captain that season.

Brisbane

On 28 May 2018, Arnell moved to Brisbane in a three-way deal in which

received pick 40 and Collingwood received

Nicole Hildebrand Nicole Hildebrand (born 22 November 1993) is an Australian rules footballer who last played for Collingwood in the AFL Women's. Early life Hildebrand was born in 1993 in Victoria. She was playing for Melbourne University when she was drafted. ...

. Ahead of the

2021 AFL Women's season The 2021 AFL Women's season was the fifth season of the AFL Women's competition, the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured fourteen clubs, ran from 28 January until 17 April, and comprised ...

, Arnell made the decision to retire at the end of the season, a decision she announced in April 2021, following Brisbane's 18-point victory over Adelaide to claim the premiership.

Coaching career

Port Adelaide

Arnell was appointed as the inaugural coach of 's AFLW side in April 2022, making her the first former AFLW player to become a senior coach.

Statistics

: ''Statistics are correct to the end of the 2018 season'' , - style="background-color: #eaeaea" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 13 , , 7 , , 2 , , 2 , , 60 , , 24 , , 84 , , 11 , , 26 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 8.6 , , 3.4 , , 12.0 , , 1.6 , , 3.7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, , 13 , , 4 , , 2 , , 1 , , 21 , , 6 , , 27 , , 7 , , 10 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 5.3 , , 1.5 , , 6.8 , , 1.8 , , 2.5 , - style="background-color: #eaeaea" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, , 16 , , 7 , , 0 , , 0 , , 58 , , 30 , , 88 , , 15 , , 32 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 8.3 , , 4.3 , , 12.6 , , 2.1 , , 4.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, , 16 , , 7 , , 2 , , 3 , , 49 , , 31 , , 80 , , 16 , , 17 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 7.0 , , 4.4 , , 11.4 , , 2.3 , , 2.4 , - style="background-color: #eaeaea" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, , 16 , , 11 , , 3 , , 4 , , 91 , , 39 , , 130 , , 26 , , 31 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 8.3 , , 3.5 , , 11.8 , , 2.4 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 36 ! 9 ! 10 ! 279 ! 130 ! 409 ! 75 ! 116 ! 0.3 ! 0.3 ! 7.8 ! 3.6 ! 11.4 ! 2.1 ! 3.2

Personal life

Arnell grew up on a cattle farm in the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

town of

Clarkefield Clarkefield () is a town in Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hume and the Shire of Macedon Ranges local government areas. Clarkefield recorded a population of 303 at the 2 ...

, 46 kilometres northwest of Melbourne. She spent her later teenage years in Lakes Entrance in the state's east. She is one of a set of triplets. Arnell studied physical education teaching at the University of Ballarat and has previously worked as a school teacher. She is the niece of former player, Ray Walker. Off-field Arnell works as AFL Victoria's education and training manager.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnell, Lauren Living people 1987 births Carlton Football Club (AFLW) players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Sportswomen from Victoria (Australia) Australian schoolteachers Brisbane Lions (AFLW) players Darebin Falcons players