Western Bulldogs' Wuetschner Arrives in Boston

You don’t need to look at a map to know, inherently, that Boston is a long, long way from Australia.

From a footy sense, this is the case as well.  The open parks and school yards that the Boston Lady Demons train and play on are in vast contrast to the ovals Down Under, which are tailor made for Australian Rules Football.  The spectator totals here smaller, and most Americans have never even heard of the sport. 

And yet, mere weeks after playing in front of thousands of fans at Etihad Stadium in the Docklands of Melbourne, Jessica Wuetschner has arrived in Boston to help bridge that gap and be a part of the development of the game here in the United States.

Wuetschner, a star member of the Western Bulldogs in this summer’s AFL Women’s Game series, will come on as a player-coach for the Lady Dees for the remainder of the 2015 season and annual National Championships carnival in Austin, Texas.

Her first test with Boston will come this Saturday as the Lady Dees team up with the Baltimore-Washington Lady Eagles to participate in the East-West Showdown just outside of New York City.  The Demons-Eagles combo will take on the New York Lady Magpies and San Francisco Iron Maidens in a round robin, lightning style carnival.

The 23-year-old Tasmania native discovered the USAFL following last year’s International Cup.  “Footy is my biggest passion,” she says, “especially growing women's footy, and I also have a passion for traveling.  So when I heard about the USAFL I thought it would be a terrific opportunity to be a part of that growth and see another part of the world.”

That kicked off a process that began with USAFL Australian Advisory Board chairman Tony Fairhead, and league Women’s Coordinator Drea Casillas making arrangements to bring her to an American club.

“I told them I would love to be situated on the east coast, so they did all the hard work and spoke with a few different clubs to see which club would like to have me on board.

“In the end, I decided on Boston which I’m really happy about; they have been so enthusiastic and welcoming already, even before I arrived.”

In coming to Boston, Wuetschner becomes the first participant of the league’s Australian Player Exchange, a program that hopes to bring in Aussie players as mentors to the American clubs, while sending American players over to get the experience of playing abroad.

“In launching the Australian Player Exchange, Woosha seemed too perfect to be true,” said Casillas.  “Here was a player who not only is amazing to watch but also has experience in growing the women's game in Tasmania. We're looking to learn from her both on and off the field. We're very proud to have her working with the Boston Lady Demons and are looking forward to having her participate at Nationals.”

The Lady Demons are 0-2 this season, falling to New York in both matches.  It’s been a bit of a rebuilding year for the club, whose best season came in 2012 when they made it to the Grand Final at the National Championships in Mason, Ohio.  Wuetschner’s arrival may very well be the spark to ignite a resurgence for the season, and the future.

“Woosha will help take a leading role in coaching as well as become a player coach for the Lady Dees,” said head coach Lisa Arrendando.  “By having her as a player-coach, the other players are ecstatic to learn from her on and off the field.  She has already become an integral part of the team by breaking down the components of the game and building the skill development for all players of the team, old and new. She will also lend her hand in recruitment and spreading the word of footy to local teams and sports clubs to raise awareness of the sport.”

“Woosha” made a reputation for herself for her club team, the East Fremantle Sharks, as a hard running forward with a knack for playmaking.  She was taken 17th overall by the Bulldogs in April’s AFL Women’s Draft after going undrafted in 2013 and 2014.  She played a key role in the team despite the Doggies losing both matches to the Melbourne Demons.  Still, Wuetschner’s performances turned heads and earned her a Best on Ground nod in last month’s game at Etihad.

But the experience of playing for an AFL squad goes beyond simply playing in front of a national audience on its biggest stage.  She hopes to instill what she has picked up over the past several months to the Lady Demons players in hopes that it will make them more determined football players.

“I've picked up a lot from being a part of the Western Bulldogs this year; it has been incredible.  A few things I’ll take away from my experience that I hope pass onto the Boston Demons ladies is that hard work and persistence is the key to success, and having a welcoming environment makes a huge difference in a team.

“I nominated for the draft the two previous years before getting drafted this year and I know now that sometimes you have to do a little extra to be that bit better.”

This won’t be the first time that Wuetschner will be participating in footy in a bit of a frontier for the sport.  Her home state of Tasmania, which she described as being very passionate about the game, is still developing its women’s programs.  It’s a far cry from Melbourne, and even from Perth where she plays her club footy. 

“Women's football in Tasmania is very new and had only been around for 8 years or so,” Wuetschner explained.  “The level and professionalism isn't quite as high as dominating states like Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. Once there is a youth girl’s league up and running, I’m sure the football standard will grow strongly.”

She is hoping the same thing will happen here in the US, and she looking forward to one familiarity to the game as it’s played back home.

“I've watched a few games online, and I see that they are as willing and passionate about football as anyone who plays the game.  I'm excited to see the skill level and culture in person.

“I'm also excited about meeting new people and being around the footy culture in America,” she continued.  “I really enjoy teaching the game, so I'm excited to get my coaching hat on and do everything I can to help out the Demons.

“I'm also looking forward to the national championships in Austin, it sounds like a good weekend.”

Wuetschner’s stay in America will be just three months, and whether she will pursue coaching and possibly playing here rather than at home in Australia is still to be seen.  She is making this journey not just to grow the women’s game, but help to grow herself as a leader.  With the prospect of a major, national league in Australia possibly on the horizon in the next two or three years, such people will be vital to the sustained success of such an enterprise.

Whatever ends up happening, however, her time with the Lady Demons will give Jess Weutschner more blocks towards building her dream career in football.

“I've just told myself that I will see how these three months go and make a decision from there. Right now, I'm not too sure if I could give up perusing my football here in Australia for too long.

But you never know, I guess we will wait and see.”

For more information about the Australian Player Exchange program or about women's footy in the USAFL, email Drea Casillas by clicking here.