JULIE or 'Mumma Jules' Clifton wouldn't say she's the boss at Willunga Footy Club, despite holding numerous titles including water runner, photographer, boundary umpire and now president.

The club sits 47km south of Adelaide, nestled among the McLaren Vale wine region in a town that attracts visitors with its nearby vineyards and weekend farmer's market, which has won the award for best in Australia.

These days there's another drawcard, as a cohort of young women gravitate to play footy under Mumma Jules.

Willunga claimed premiership titles in both the Open Women and A-Grade division of the Great Southern Competition last season and the proud president said, "There's been an influx of people that are ringing to ask, 'Can I come and play for Willunga?'"

The mother-of-two took her daughters to NAB AFL Auskick for a few years before she said, "They decided they didn't want to play with the boys anymore" and so off to netball they went.

It wasn't until her youngest daughter, Lauren, found herself in a grade six footy carnival that a teacher approached Julie to tell her that Lauren had real talent.

The rest, Julie says, is history.

"Lauren's teacher told me she should be playing footy, and then one of the guys who ran Auskick contacted us and said they were going to put forward an inaugural women's team as a trial in the Great Southern League and asked if my girls would be interested," she said.

Both daughters joined and it wasn't long before Willunga had their own team, and then a second, and a third.

"We started out with six kids and lost two on the first lap because they didn't want to run the oval every week," Julie said.

"Slowly things evolved and then one day the person overseeing the women's football asked if I could help and I started taking photos, running water, or whatever they needed."

Julie then went to do her trainers course, ensuring the women's teams were properly resourced. Fast forward to now and the joke around Willunga is that she wears so many hats.

"The umpires and I have a laugh because I'll be trainer Julie running out with my kit bag and have my water vest on as well, and then I'll have a camera around my neck and the umpires just have to overlook the fact that I'm taking photos while running water," she said.

Lauren now plays for South Adelaide in the SANFL, is in Port Adelaide's Next Generation Academy and competes in the state team.

The self-proclaimed nervous mum confesses her heavy involvement also keeps her mind off what's going on on-field.

"Footy's quite nerve-racking when you're watching your daughter get slammed to the ground and I found when I became a trainer I had a different mindset, and I'd be watching everyone rather than just my own daughter, so it helped me cope," she said.

"When Lauren was playing state, I was hanging on to the lady next to me and squeezing her hand, it's different when you're actually involved."

Her time is spread between the men's and women's sides and uses treats at the canteen as a tactic to convince kids to help with umpiring for both.

"Last year they didn’t have anyone to run the water for the A-grade men's and the head trainer asked me to, so 50-year-old me ran out and one guy said to me, 'No, I'm good thanks' and I said 'You take a drink or I don't come back ... I'm not coming back in two seconds when you want a drink, you'll take it now because I'm here'," she laughed.

It's no doubt this no-frills attitude helped see Julie recently acknowledged for her outstanding contribution to women’s football as part of the 2022 Chemist Warehouse AFLW Community Ambassador program.

As the club's first female president in it's 147-year-history, and a school counsellor by day, it makes sense that Julie's focus is on uniting the club moving forward.

"I'm a people person, I know people and systems and how to get the best out of them, so I think that's been very welcomed, because people have thought, 'Shit, we didn't think about that'," she said.

"My biggest fear is the same 15 people doing the same things for 15 years."

On the future, she said it's "about being seen and being visual, and maybe is it a little bit about not saying no."

"It's putting your hand up to help make everyone's life easier ... sometimes to your own detriment. I love to see people happy, and sport makes people feel happy."

Acknowledging that football helped her through the turmoil of a recent marriage breakdown, Julie said the desire to keep contributing doesn't wane, especially when what she gives, she gets in return.

"I want to give back the joy that I've found in football, even if that means just a smile on a Saturday," she said.