FOOTY dads and their daughters.
The last decade has seen an explosion in girls football participation rates around the country, and for many, the chance to further personal connections with their fathers through the sport has been an added bonus.
Even AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has had the coach's whistle around his neck, looking after one of the girls' teams at local club Kew Comets, where his daughter played alongside now-Collingwood draftee Lucy Cronin.
But what happens when your cricket dad becomes your footy dad?
It's exactly what has played out for rising Hawk Jasmine Fleming, whose dad Damien played cricket for Australia, while mum Wendy also played netball for the country.
"It's been fantastic. Jas started playing with the boys at the Ashburton Redbacks and gave it up for a couple of years because she didn't know where the pathway was with women's AFL," Damien said.
"Cricket and basketball took over, and then you fast-forward half a dozen years and she's going into her third year for Hawthorn and it just shows how much it's grown, the AFLW. We're going to continue to get great talent in.
"I'm not going to lie to you, having the Hawthorn colours as a Hawthorn man was just the icing on the cake."
Jas – who was a talented cricketer in her own right before switching back to football – has seen her relationship with her parents evolve in the past few years.
The precocious footballer was named Hawthorn's co-vice captain last year, just her second at the top level.
It was a big task for a player who didn't turn 19 until after the Hawks finished their 2023 home-and-away season, but she had some handy sounding boards.
After the addition of a few more senior players from Melbourne, Eliza West and Casey Sherriff, she has settled back into a general leadership role this year.
"[Dad] and Mum are the people I talk to the most, especially being in the leadership group (and) they've both played high level sport," Jas said.
"I'm lucky to have both of them at home to be able to bounce off ideas and things I'm going through, I'm very lucky and rely on them a lot."
The sporting landscape has completely changed since Damien was Jasmine's age, with netball one of the very few pathways to the top for athletic women in team sports.
"Going through, Wendy was a netballer and they had a strong AFL family there as well (brother Gary O'Donnell played for Essendon)," Damien said.
"Jas always aspired to be an elite athlete and for a couple of years there, it was basketball and cricket. Cricket in particular was progressing really well, but the rise of the AFLW, the draft, it just melded at a really great time.
"Now, putting all her focus into football – she's part of the leadership group and it's exciting times (at Hawthorn). The boys are in the finals and the girls are embarking on their third season."
The dads and father figures of Hawthorn recently spent a day at the club, getting an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the lead-in to round one.
They took part in (a version of) training, and listened in on coach Daniel Webster's chats.
"It's pretty special. We're obviously a Hawthorn family, so to have him (Damien) here and show him around the club, have him join in on a couple of drills and see what it's all about inside with a couple of team meetings, it's pretty cool," Jas said.
