ROSIE O’Donnell is a noted fan of women’s sport. A season-pass holder of the WNBA and NWSL in years past, her big break as an actor came as Doris Murphy in beloved film A League of Their Own.
“I played baseball, and really the reason I have a film career is because of the movie A League of Their Own, where I was the only actress in LA who could throw from third to first, and so that’s how I got cast in that film, and that was the beginning of my entire career,” O’Donnell said as part of the AFLW’s launch into the second week of Pride Round.
“So I’m a big fan of women in sports, especially for youngsters, and keeping them in is so important so that they don’t drop out as they get older … I’m indebted to all these amazing athletes and to this League for being so supportive of diversity.”
As she tours Australia with her one-woman theatrical performance Common Knowledge, O’Donnell is adding AFLW to her list of favourites.
Learning to kick a footy with a host of Victorian AFLW players, including Western Bulldogs champion Ellie Blackburn, Collingwood fan favourite Sarah Rowe and North Melbourne premiership defender Erika O’Shea, she is starting to get her head around the oval ball.
“The rules seems a little complicated to me, but I love when they get it in between the middle posts, and I scream ‘six points’, which nobody else in this country does,” O’Donnell said.
“I think you call it, what do you call it, a goal? I call it six points, and I’ve very excited to see it … When I was in high school, I played every sport – except field hockey because they hit you in the ankle with a wood thing, and it’s not fun.”
As part of the AFLW’s Pride Round, O’Donnell will attend Saturday’s clash between Greater Western Sydney and Fremantle, where she has a special link.
“The Dockers are my team, and my producer is married to somebody on that team (head of AFLW Claire Heffernan), and that’s why the Dockers are my team,” O’Donnell said.
Rosie O’Donnell and Ellie Blackburn during a Pride Round Media Opportunity at Ikon Park on October 13, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
The representation of the LGBTQIA+ community across the AFLW was something that O’Donnell noted as special, and a win for inclusion.
“I think it’s amazing, all the different teams and all the different women. And, you know, (LGBTQIA+) is a broad spectrum of people, and we’re part of the community and your world and your family,” O’Donnell said.
“It’s better (that) everyone accepts and loves each other, and I think this is a beautiful thing to do.
