![\"Pauline](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/5c2790a508e0ce9a77207c76641b2b28956a5428.jpg\")
Camera IconPauline Gibb. Credit: Ava Berryman<\/p>\nMandurah local Pauline Gibb has been playing AFL since 1988.<\/p>\n
Now WA\u2019S oldest registered female playing full-contact AFL, Ms Gibb is headed to NSW to represent the State and show other women her age that there is no expiration date on doing what you love.<\/p>\n
Camera IconPauline Gibb. Credit: Ava Berryman<\/p>\n
Ms Gibb said she started playing AFL in a time when women were not part of the narrative.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always wanted to play, but of course I grew up in the days where it didn\u2019t happen,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour only option was to kick the footy around with your brothers; that was it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1988, Ms Gibb drove past a local oval and saw women training for the first time, and from there started playing for the first WA women\u2019s football league.<\/p>\n
Now 70 years old, Ms Gibb said if she were to die on the footy field, she would be happy to be there.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as we lay down and stop, that\u2019s when life comes grinding to a halt. I\u2019m not ready for that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t act 70, I don\u2019t feel 70. I\u2019m out there for the girls who don\u2019t think they can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Gibb said there are rules in place to protect older players, such as wearing a vest so opponents know not to tackle her, but she does not care to play that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m in for the full-on contact,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I get knocked over and hurt, that\u2019s my decision. I\u2019ll give it my 100 per cent while I can still put my feet on the ground and run almost as fast as some of the other girls. I may not run like a gazelle anymore, but I can still run. I\u2019ll keep going until I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Pauline](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0ba93d79e61d4a3bfc330d8a658c4283d88923fc.jpg\")
Camera IconPauline Gibb playing for the women’s AFL Masters WA. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n
The National AFL Carnival in Newcastle from September 27 to October 3 will be Ms Gibbs\u2019 10th. She said she was looking forward to the camaraderie and fun she shares with her teammates each year at the event.<\/p>\n
She also hopes to back the win they took home at last year\u2019s games in Darwin, and thinks they have a \u201cpretty good chance\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms Gibb said seeing today\u2019s young girls have the opportunity to get into AFL has been incredible to see.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just warms my heart,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have been a part of that history of women\u2019s football is a gift. I\u2019m so happy for the girls that now have a chance to play something that we weren\u2019t allowed to play for so long.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never know how much we can achieve until we put ourselves out there. If you want to do it, give it your best. Push harder, run faster, climb higher, and don\u2019t think you\u2019re ever too old because you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n