Footy chicks

Many Australians love their football; many Australian women also desire the men who play it. Michaela Perske and Rebecca Barry have made a hard-hitting documentary that uses a combination of interviews, observational filming and stylised re-enactments to examine some of the interactions between football players and “Footy Chicks”. In the early 21st century, Australia saw a number of allegations of sexual assaults on women made against football players and clubs from both the Rugby League and AFL codes. Against this background, “Footy Chicks” explores the gender and sexual power relationships, and the attitudes of both players and women to the fun and the dangers involved in the sexual culture of Australian football. As well as the players and “footy chicks” who speak for themselves, interviewees include Kath Haines from Footy Fans Against Sexual Assault; Dr Clifton Evers, Lecturer in Gender Studies; Dr Catharine Lumby, Associate Professor Media Studies, and Karen Willis from the New South Wales Rape Crisis Centre.