On February 4, 2017 a stadium overflowed as fans were turned away after the gates had to be locked at a sporting event that changed Australia forever.

In this sixth and final episode of ROAR Sam Lane takes listeners inside AFLW’s opening night, re-living the audible, visual and tangible power of that monumental competition launch game.

You’ll hear the passion and emotion of Debbie Lee, Peggy O’Neal, Colin Carter and the AFL’s Commission chairman of the day, Mike Fitzpatrick as the ROAR of that unforgettable night lives on.

Download and follow ROAR. You might even share it with someone you think might like, or learn from, it too.

This recording would not have been possible without the generous philanthropic backing of Ian Darling and the Shark Island Institute.Recorded and produced by Mushroom Studios. Published by Podshape.

ROAR was recorded in Melbourne, Victoria, where the traditional owners of the land are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I acknowledge these traditional custodians and pay my respects to Wurundjeri Elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An AFL women’s league had arrived at last, but did this spell equality for women? Not by a long stretch.

In this fifth episode of ROAR Sam Lane digs into the growing pains, and shockwaves, catalysed by the AFLW’s debut season: the unpaid hours for players, coaches and support staff, the missing sanitary bins, and the instantly iconic ‘Erin Phillips kiss’ at the AFLW’s first competition best and fairest awards night.

Here you’ll hear from the AFLW’s first premiership coach and great disrupter, Bec Goddard, Debbie Lee, Peter Gordon and others, in this unfolding story of persistence, progress, pride and power.

Download and follow ROAR. You might even share it with someone you think might like, or learn from, it too.

This recording would not have been possible without the generous philanthropic backing of Ian Darling and the Shark Island Institute.Recorded and produced by Mushroom Studios. Published by Podshape.

ROAR was recorded in Melbourne, Victoria, where the traditional owners of the land are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I acknowledge these traditional custodians and pay my respects to Wurundjeri Elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From ball size, to player pay and the strategy behind the AFLW logo’s colour scheme, everything was on the whiteboard.

In this fourth episode of ROAR Sam Lane uncovers compelling detail about the AFL’s radical reinvention as it built a new-wave competition for women and girls from scratch — rewriting established norms and convention. Who re-wrote the rules? Who brought radical re-imaginings to life? You’ll hear it here.

Make sure you download and follow ROAR. You might even share it with someone you think might like, or learn from, it too.

This recording would not have been possible without the generous philanthropic backing of Ian Darling and the Shark Island Institute. Recorded and produced by Mushroom Studios. Published by Podshape.

ROAR was recorded in Melbourne, Victoria, where the traditional owners of the land are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I acknowledge these traditional custodians and pay my respects to Wurundjeri Elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a new AFL CEO, Gillon McLachlan, asked aloud, ‘Why couldn’t an AFL women’s league kick off before 2020?', he set a chain reaction in motion.

This episode of ROAR pinpoints the moment the AFLW leapt from reverie to reality, and spotlights the people who made it happen.

You’ll hear from Josh Vanderloo, Dorothy Hisgrove, Linda Dessau and others who recall the chaos, conviction and courage, along with some doubt and doubters, at the time of the AFLW’s lightening-speed creation.

Download and follow ROAR. You might even share it with someone you think might like, or learn from, it too.

This recording would not have been possible without the generous philanthropic backing of Ian Darling and the Shark Island Institute. Recorded and produced by Mushroom Studios. Published by Podshape.

ROAR was recorded in Melbourne, Victoria, where the traditional owners of the land are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I acknowledge these traditional custodians and pay my respects to Wurundjeri Elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why did Australia’s most popular and powerful sporting code take so long to see value in women and girls playing footy?

In this second episode of ROAR Sam Lane revisits the revolution that reshaped the AFL from the inside out. Hear trailblazers Debbie Lee, Michelle Cowan, Jan Cooper and Chyloe Kurdas recount confronting episodes of sexism, homophobia and exclusion that they experienced, and about the quiet but compelling power of the AFL’s first woman Commissioner - Sam Mostyn - who chipped away with great effect at changing rusted-on culture from within.

Please download and follow ROAR. You might even share it with someone you think might like, or learn from, it too.

This recording would not have been possible without the generous philanthropic backing of Ian Darling and the Shark Island Institute.Recorded and produced by Mushroom Studios. Published by Podshape.

ROAR was recorded in Melbourne, Victoria, where the traditional owners of the land are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I acknowledge these traditional custodians and pay my respects to Wurundjeri Elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fight for women’s footy began long before the monumental launch match of the AFL Women’s league.

In this opening episode, Sam Lane introduces the trailblazers who challenged Australia’s most powerful sporting institution to make it happen. From pioneers Debbie Lee, Sam Mostyn, Jan Cooper, and Chyloe Kurdas to the courageous whistleblower Jane Hollman, who exposed sexism inside AFL House.

You’ll also hear from some significant male allies, Colin Carter, Peter Gordon, David Matthews, and Campbell Rose, all figures who pushed towards the code and culture-changing revolution that became AFLW.

Make sure you download and follow ROAR. You might even share it with someone you think might like, or learn from, it too.

This recording would not have been possible without the generous philanthropic backing of Ian Darling and the Shark Island Institute. Recorded and Produced by Mushroom Studios.

ROAR was recorded in Melbourne, Victoria, where the traditional owners of the land are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I acknowledge these traditional custodians and pay my respects to Wurundjeri Elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The remarkable Australian story of a group of football pioneers, and visionaries, who changed the game for women and girls in sport - on and off field.

February 3, 2017 marked a red-letter day in Australia with women playing the first ever Australian Rules football match for Australian Football League premiership points.

The milestone was more than a century in the making.

A nation was captivated: millions of Australians tuned into the television broadcast of the first AFL Women's League match, a horde of spectators forced a stadium lock out, and the events made news headlines globally.

The inaugural AFLW season was a watershed moment for the country, culturally, with Australia's most dominant domestic football code including women like never before.

Walkley Award-winning journalist Sam Lane charts the birth of the AFLW from its origins - when women's football was viewed as a niche, side-show distraction to the electrifying first AFLW season that exceeded expectations and upended established norms. She speaks with the trailblazers who, through grit, collaboration and lateral thinking, pushed through roadblocks, scepticism and derision - overcoming sexism, homophobia and patriarchy - in this giant step towards gender equity and inclusion.

ROAR spotlights and features the impact of Sam Mostyn, Debbie Lee, Jan Cooper, Chyloe Kurdas, Michelle Cowan, Peter Gordon, Gillon McLachlan, Mike Fitzpatrick, Peggy O’Neal, Jen Watt, Peter Jackson, Colin Carter, Josh Vanderloo, Tayla Harris, Darcy Vescio, Katie Brennan, Daisy Pearce and more.

This six-part audio series is a story about a movement bigger than sport - charting the experiences of footballers, coaches, executives and administrators in an uphill battle to realising a dream.

This recording would not have been possible without the generous philanthropic backing of Ian Darling and the Shark Island Institute. Recorded and produced by Mushroom Studios. Published by Podshape.

ROAR was recorded in Melbourne, Victoria, where the traditional owners of the land are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge these traditional custodians and pay respect to Wurundjeri Elders past and present.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.