Sophie McDonald (born 8 June 2000) is an

Australian rules footballer 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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

playing for the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and first competed in 1987 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known ...

in the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football competition for women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the l ...

(AFLW). A key defender, she played state-level

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

as a junior before starting football in 2018. She made her senior debut in West Coast's inaugural AFLW team.

Junior career

Originally from

Albany, Western Australia Albany ( ; ) is a port city in the Great Southern region in the Australian state of Western Australia, southeast of Perth, the state capital. The city centre is at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a part of King G ...

, McDonald played hockey for most of her junior career. She represented her state at two under-18 national championships: the 2017 edition in

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

, where she won bronze, and the 2018 edition in Launceston, where she won silver. She began playing football that year, joining West Coast's female

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in October after performing strongly at a club tryout for non-footballers. McDonald, on a

gap year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is a period of time when students take a break from their studies, usually after completing high school or before beginning graduate school. During this time, students engage in a variety of educatio ...

, moved to Perth in early 2019, where she played both hockey and football at a high level, citing her enjoyment of both sports and the potential financial benefits of football. She represented the Suburbans Lions in the women's state hockey league and

Claremont Claremont may refer to: Places Australia *Claremont, Ipswich, a heritage-listed house in Queensland * Claremont, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart * Claremont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth * Town of Claremont, Perth * Claremont Airbase, an ...

in the

WAFL Women's WAFL Women's (WAFLW) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFLW is the premier women's football competition in Western Australia and is contested by eight teams, all of whom are owned and operated by clu ...

. McDonald played for Western Australia at the

2019 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships The 2019 NAB AFL Women's Under-18 Championships was played between May and July 2019, with six teams competing in the main 'Series 2' round-robin tournament and with a further four playing in a two-match one-on-one exhibition as the competition' ...

over June and July, and was invited to the national draft combine in Melbourne, set to take place in October. However, she was signed by West Coast prior to the event.

AFLW career

West Coast confirmed McDonald's selection with pick 39 in the

2019 AFL Women's draft The 2019 AFL Women's draft consisted of the various periods when the 14 clubs in the AFL Women's competition can recruit players prior to the competition's 2020 season. At the conclusion of the period clubs were required to have 27 senior-lis ...

Adam Selwood Adam Murray Selwood (1 May 1984 – 17 May 2025) was an Australian rules footballer who played 11 seasons for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from Bendigo, Victoria, Selwood was recruited by West Coast ...

, the club's head of women's football, cited her competitiveness, her athleticism, and her ability to play at either end of the ground. She debuted in the opening round of the 2020 season, as part of the club's inaugural side.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Sophie Living people 2000 births Sportspeople from Albany, Western Australia Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Claremont Football Club players West Coast Eagles (AFLW) players