Adelaide Crows star Chelsea Randall has announced her retirement from the AFLW, with the club citing concussion as a major factor in her decision.
The three-time premiership player was an inaugural AFLW participant and played 80 games for the Crows, whom she captained for eight seasons, but missed the 2021 grand final because of concussion.
In a statement, the club said the 35-year-old’s decision had been prompted by “issues related to concussion”, and came after “regular consultation with the club doctor, independent specialists and the AFL”.
“I am incredibly grateful to the Adelaide Football Club, which has supported me both on and off the field over the past 10 seasons,” Randall said.
“I am also so grateful to the AFLW competition as a whole; to have been part of its growth from the very beginning has been an honour and one of the great privileges of my life.“
Randall was ruled out of the AFLW Grand Final in 2021 because of concussion. (AAP: Matt Turner)
Among Randall’s on-field accomplishments are five-time All-Australian selection, including as captain in 2018 — the same season that she was named Crows club champion.
“I will miss the immense joy that playing gave me, I’ll miss competing at the highest level, I’ll miss sharing the game with my teammates and playing in front of our members and supporters,” Randall said.
It comes as the ABC’s Four Corners program has reported dozens of Australian Rules players, including 19 professional and semi-professional footballers, have been diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Randall missed out on the 2021 grand final after colliding heavily with Melbourne’s Eliza McNamara during the preliminary final — an incident that put concussion in women’s sport under the spotlight.
Chelsea Randall, pictured during a game against Melbourne in 2022, has announced her retirement from the AFLW. (Getty Images: AFL Photos / Dylan Burns)
Crows executive general manager AFLW Bree Brock described Randall as a “leader and champion of the game” whose career had served as a testament to “courage, resilience and elite ability”.
“Chelsea has consistently set the standard through her actions,” Brock said.
“When Chelsea arrived at the Crows ahead of the inaugural AFLW season in 2017, there were 2,741 women and girls registered to play football in South Australia.
“Today, that number has surged to 11,822 and Chelsea’s trailblazing role in growing the game across our state, as well as her lasting influence, should never be underestimated.”
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