Passing the Torch is a new spin-off podcast series under the Credit to the Girls umbrella. It profiles the young players of the AFL Women's competition who will be at the forefront of the league over the next 10 years. Episodes can be listened to via the traditional Credit to the Girls feed, wherever you get your podcasts. 

STAR Richmond midfielder Ellie McKenzie lives and breathes football, but is learning how to balance her dream job with everyday life.

Away from the field, McKenzie is studying a bachelor of business but also working in the club's Next Generation Academy program. 

Having grown up a student of the game – she loves nothing more than watching a random match on the couch with her dad, and nominates Isaac Smith and Steele Sidebottom as somewhat niche favourite players – McKenzie enjoys the fact her job involves watching lots of football, but the struggle for well-roundedness remains.

"I'm figuring out how to balance myself a bit more. I think coming out of last season and going into a really long off-season, I really struggled with not having that structure of football around me, given that was so big for me and has been so big for me forever," McKenzie said.

"Having that period where there was no footy, no scheduled sessions, you didn't have anywhere to be and didn't have to be at the club was a really big shock to the system for me. So I think learning how to balance football with other things in my life, and now having work at the club has really helped that. 

"Things like uni and catching up with friends, there's a lot of things you can do, but making sure you're balancing everything in your life so you're not drawing on – I think for me, I'm a big footy nuffy, so football becomes just a massive part of my life. 

Ellie McKenzie is tackled by Hannah Bowey during round 10, season seven, 2022. Picture: AFL Photos

"Come AFLW season, it's like you're in the bubble, it's all you think about, and then it's over, and it's like, 'What do I do now?'

"I think the last few months have been working through that process of how I can balance myself a bit more to help my mental health."

EPISODE GUIDE

0.55 – Richmond touring US colleges over the off-season
3.32 – A continuous footy journey from Auskick to No.1 pick
7.55 – Modelling her game on Isaac Smith, Steele Sidebottom and Marcus Bontempelli
12.15 – Entering a team in transition
15.05 – Battling injuries
19.25 – Richmond's rise up the ladder in season seven
24.04 – The Tigers' midfield mix
26.05 – Leadership with McKenzie