Luka Yoshida-Martin (born 10 April 2001) is an

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 who plays for

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...

(AFLW).

Early life

Soccer career

Yoshida-Martin started as a soccer player at the age of 8 and was identified at an early age selected as part of the

National Premier Leagues Women's The National Premier Leagues Women's (NPLW) are regional association football competitions in some states and territories in Australia, which act as the second tier of the sport in the country below the A-League Women. The WNPL consists of the ...

academy program. She played junior football with

Brisbane City FC Brisbane City Football Club is an Australian semi-professional football club based in Newmarket, Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in 1952, the club competed in the National Soccer League until the 1986 season where they were relegated back to S ...

and

The Gap FC The Gap FC is an Australian football (soccer) club from The Gap, a suburb of Brisbane. The club was formed in 1955, and currently competes in the Brisbane Premier League. The club's distinctive gold and purple colours have been with the club s ...

. She was selected to represented Queensland in soccer. She attended secondary school at

Kedron State High School Kedron State High School is a Queensland public secondary school which is located in the inner-northern suburb of Kedron in Brisbane, Australia. The school was opened in 1956, to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding North Brisbane population w ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. At age of 19 was signed by

Mitchelton FC Mitchelton Football Club is an Australian soccer club based in Everton Park, a suburb in Brisbane's inner-west, Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1920, the club competes in the Football Queensland Premier League. Overview The club was found ...

to play senior football. A serious ankle injury almost put an end to her soccer career and she switched codes, playing both sports.

Switch to Australian rules

Yoshida-Martin began playing Australian rules in 2019 for the Kedron Football Club and was part of the Division 1 premiership team. She also played at

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

in the

AFL Queensland Women's League There are five senior women's AFL leagues in Queensland governed by AFL Queensland. The Queensland Australian Football League Women's (QAFLW) is the highest league in the State and provides elite women footballers the opportunity to play in ...

. Yoshida-Martin was drafted by with the 53rd pick in the 2021 AFL Women's draft.

AFLW Career

She made her debut in the Lions' round 6 game against at

Trevor Barker Beach Oval Trevor Barker Beach Oval, currently known under naming rights as the Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval, is an Australian rules football ground in Beach Road, on the border between Hampton and Sandringham, Victoria. Most commonly known as B ...

on 13 February 2022.

References

External links

* * 2001 births Living people Sportswomen from Queensland Australian rules footballers from Queensland Brisbane Lions (AFLW) players {{AFL-bio-2000s-stub