Bundaberg-raised and Queensland AFLW trailblazer Emma Zielke proudly participated in the Keep Walking Boldly campaign by gifting her boots to the rising stars of the game.
Keep Walking Boldly recognises the strides taken by AFLW trailblazers to pave the way for the professional game and honour the drive of today’s players.
Recently retired from the Brisbane Lions, Emma ended her career as the 2021 AFLW Premiership Captain.
Emma led her team to three grand finals in five years.
She now continues her legacy as head coach for the Brisbane Lions Academy’s Female Programs continuing to shape the future of women’s football.
Emma said she felt incredibly proud to have been chosen as one of the trailblazers for the keep walking campaign.
“It’s an important initiative to recognise how far we’ve come with women’s football and recognise the stories of the women who played many years before AFLW was in the national competition,” she said.
“It’s also important to keep encouraging women playing the game today to keep pushing the boundaries and setting the standard for the next generation coming through.”
Emma joins other AFLW players for the Keep Walking Bolding campaign where they created four individually handcrafted football boots, which embody the spirit of progress.
Crafted from boots worn by 21 legacy players in the league’s history these new boots will be gifted to current athletes in the league, to symbolise the bold steps that have been and continue to be taken from one generation to the next.
The official gifting of the boots took place recently, presented by AFL Women’s Football General Manager Nicole Livingstone.
The one-of-a-kind boots were presented to four rising players who are changing the game today, including GWS Giants player and Olympic gold medallist Chloe Dalton, Hawthorn’s Emily Bates, Brisbane Lions’ Ally Anderson and Collingwood’s Ashleigh Brazill.
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