Forres woman Lucy Massie (24) to compete for Team GB at Australian Rules Football's European Championships in Croatia
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A FORRES woman is set to compete for Great Britain in Australian Rules Football's European Championships this autumn.
Lucy Massie (24) hasn't yet been playing Aussie rules – an 18-a-side sport which brings in elements of football and rugby – for a full year.
However, she has moved through the ranks at lightning quick speed, and recently got the call to say she'd be competing for Team GB at the European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, from October 5 to October 8.
Lucy's success in the sport – while impressive – isn't a complete shock, as she has previously been involved with boxing, tennis, badminton, Irish dancing and athletics. She now works as a PE teacher.
"It's all come about very quickly," Lucy said. "It's a surprise but I've always been sporty and done a lot of different things.
"I moved to Birmingham in September last year and decided I wanted to do a new team sport – something a bit more relaxed.
"I did consider football and rugby but thought this could be fun and I took to it quite quickly.
"I broke my foot after just three weeks but started playing the sport again in January. I picked it up again and played for Birmingham University before getting marked at a tournament.
"I was then asked to play for Wimbledon Hawks in London, as well as the Cardiff Panthers. I played a few matches for them and then went to GB trials.
"My past in running helps me because it's very fast-paced. Aussie rules is a combination of speed, ball-handling, kicking, and takes in qualities from football and rugby, too. It's quite explosive, so badminton will have helped with that.
"I'm looking forward to Croatia. I'm excited to play against high-quality teams and gain experience at this level. The aim for the team is to win the competition."
Lucy will be part of a 28-strong GB team aiming to take home the women's title for the second time in three tournaments.
The women won the European Championships in 2016, but Ireland won the title in 2019. They'll be travelling to Zagreb, along with the men's team, who are back-to-back winners of the competition, aiming to take the title back.
Training for October is already under way – with Lucy getting plenty of practice in while at home in Forres for summer.
"I've been training myself, doing weights at home and practicing some kicking at Grant Park," she said. "I've done a lot of conditioning and I've been getting help from my dad too.
"There's a training and team building weekend in September before we head away, too, and I'll be playing with a club in London."
Lucy hopes Aussie rules can take her further – with dreams of living and working in Australia, playing at the sport's International Cup (world championships) and expanding out into rugby sevens.
"Hopefully it opens up some opportunities," she added. "I'd love to go to the International Cup, that'd be a real aim, and hopefully training with specialist coaches will help my performance.
"I'd love to teach and work in Australia, too, and this could potentially to link in with rugby sevens – as there are a lot of parallels and that's a sport I'd be interested in."
Lucy is seeking around £400 in sponsorship before heading to Croatia and asks that interested parties get in touch via email at lucymassie215@gmail.com.
