Bella Ayre may be the youngest player on Carlton’s list, but the 18-year-old won’t let her tender years define her.
The strong forward, who plays for Bendigo Thunder in the VWFL, was roped into playing football by her two brothers. She followed them to training and now the rest is history.
“My older brother Sammy and my twin brother Liam both played football - I just went along with them,” Ayre said.
“First it was Auskick and I just got really into it. I started from there and went onto to play under-11s, 14s, and then youth girls.”
Being the youngest in the team means that Ayre, unlike some of her teammates, was afforded plenty opportunities to continue playing when her time with the boys was up. However, there were still plenty of challenges Ayre had to overcome to continue playing.
One of them was the two-hour-plus drive to Bendigo – the closest youth girls competition she could play in – which almost forced her to give up the game completely.
“It was good to have the opportunity to keep going forward with my footy,” Ayre said.
“In 2015 I wanted to quit altogether. I didn't want to do it - football was becoming a bit hard. Mum forced me to keep doing it and now I’m here.”
Bella Ayre pictured during pre-season at Ikon Park. (Photo: www.jonathandimaggio.com)
Had it not been for her mum, Ayre may not have found her way to Ikon Park where she is revelling in the opportunity to learn from the coaching staff and her Carlton teammates.
“I like to soak up the knowledge all the coaches and everyone brings to the team,” she said.
“I’m not a massive talker so I like to learn, and I think I’ve learnt a lot over the years having been in national programs for youth girls, so it’s all sort of coming together now.”
When Ayre was picked up by the Blues at pick 51 she was still only 17, with coach Damien Keeping rating her as “one of the most exciting youth girls graduates” at the time.
“Bella’s workrate and endurance allows her to be competitive from the first bounce of the ball, until the final siren,” Keeping said.
“Although she generally plays up forward and can pinch-hit in the midfield, Bella can also help down back if required, so she’s an extremely flexible player.”
Ayre hopes to continue expanding her knowledge of the game at Carlton, and is looking forward to the moment she makes her AFLW debut.
“Carlton is a great club, I’d be happy to stay here for 10 years,” she said.
“I really want to get my body right and be ready for the elite level. I’m super keen for the season, I’m really nervous but I’ve been waiting for this since I was 12.”
