Mia, 17, chases ‘cool honour’ of first Jewish female footballer to be drafted

Mia Zielinski is hoping to break new ground in the AFLW when the drafts are announced on Monday.

Mia Zielinski is hopeful of breaking new ground. The 18-year-old is like hundreds of other young girls across the country waiting for their names to be called out on Monday to realise their football dreams. Should Zielinski’s name get called, it will see her name etched into Jewish sporting history.

It is just over 12 months since Harry Sheezel was the toast of the Ajax Football Club and Jewish community when he was drafted and went on to dominate his debut season at North Melbourne.

There could be cause for celebration at the Jackas (aka Ajax) once again.

While it’s far from a fait accompli, Zielinski is poised to become the first Jackette to be drafted into the AFL Women's competition since its inception in 2017.

There are several Jackettes and Jewish footballers who have previously and currently feature in the VFLW competition, the state league below the national competition.

After a strong two years playing for the Sandringham Dragons in the Coates Talent League, Zielinski is hoping to buck the trend and become the AFLW trailblazer in the Jewish community.

Zielinski, who models her game on current Essendon skipper Bonnie Toogood, has developed a reputation as one of the powerful key forwards in the draft pool.