THE AFL is moving closer to seeing a woman hold a full time clubCEO position, commissioner Sam Mostyn says.
As the AFL celebrates Women's Round this week, Mostyn saidthat with support from clubs there was no reason why a woman couldn't lead anadministration.
"I have enormous optimism about the prospect for us tojoin the NRL with our first woman to lead a club," Mostyn said at theWomen's Industry Lunch on Thursday in Docklands.
Raelene Castle was appointed as CEO of the NRL's CanterburyBulldogs in May this year, while Geelong's general manager of people andculture Rosie King stood in as CEO in April while Brian Cook studied at HarvardUniversity.
Mostyn said it was important for women to be supported atclub level to ensure they developed into candidates capable of being appointedto the CEO role.
"If we are to get our first woman leading an AFL clubin our competition, we need them to be supported, we need them to be developedand given the chance to think that's possible – and possible soon."
The lunch celebrated not only women in football, but alsothe legacy of the late Jill Lindsay, who passed away in February 2011 fromcancer after being the AFL's longest serving administrator.
The Jill Lindsay Oration was delivered by 2010 Young Queenslanderof the Year and founder/president of Youth Without Borders, YassminAbdel-Magied.
She was born in Sudan and moved to Australia when she wastwo. She graduated as valedictorian of her class in 2011 with a Bachelor ofMechanical Engineering.
Abdel-Mageid spoke of the challenges of fly-in, fly-out workon oil and gas rigs, and how her mother encouraged her to be proud of being awoman.
"Working in an environment like oil and gas, I can'tescape the fact that I'm the only chick out there.
"I can't escape the fact that I never will be a guy, soI have to figure out how to be a strong woman in a really masculine environment– how do I find my femininity among all that masculinity?"
Mostyn said statistics that showed impressive participationand support of the game by women.
"It's easy to forget the numbers, but numbers matter -we now have more than 136,000 female participants and that ranges from Auskick,club AFL, nines and right through our competition," she said.
"There are 12,000 women NAB AFL Auskick participantsand that number continues to grow, 35 per cent of club members are women, 5500coaches are women, we have 2000 women who are umpires and 35 per cent of theAustralian football volunteer base are women.
"The game wouldn't exist without the mightycontribution of our women."
The AFL women's exhibition game will be played on Saturdayevening ahead of the Melbourne-Western Bulldogs game at the MCG, with the teamsmade up of players selected in last month's historic first women's draft.
Jennifer Phelan is areporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenPhelan.
