Highlights
- Justine Mules plays semi-professional footy and works in construction.
- She is half-Filipina and a member of the LGBTQ community.
- She hopes to take on leadership roles in the AFLW in the future to help support women in their football careers.
“Everyone [who is part of a minority group] has experienced some sort of negativity. I just have to tell myself that what other people think of me and my life are not reflective of who I am as a person.
“If they don’t agree with [the way I am], that’s on them. I don’t need them in my life.”
Adelaide Crows player Justine Mules is half-Filipina, a member of the LGBTQ community and, totally unbothered by what naysayers have to say.
Justine Mules Source: Justine Mules
The athletic Pinay
Born of a Filipino mum and an Australian dad, 27-year old Justine laughs, “It was a privilege growing up with such delicious food.”
Aside from the delicious food, Justine says that she was lucky enough to have had her Filipino grandparents visit them in Adelaide often.
“They helped my mum bring us up and expose us to as much Tagalog as they could. My older sister can speak and understand very fluently. I can understand it.
"I have to give credit to my lolo who we called Tatay. He was quite tall and I think I got my love for basketball from him.
"I've always been into sports and I'm quite coordinated...so when I was younger, my mum signed me up for basketball and I ended up quite good at it."
While her mum supported her love for basketball, she had her hesitations.
"As I got older, mum was quite petrified because I was so small. When I was playing basketball, she would be like, 'Anak, you gotta give it up. I don't want you to get injured.' But then she saw how rough I played, [so she calmed down]."
Justine, her partner and parents Source: Justine Mules
Going semi-pro
Because her mum knew how rough she could play sports, she didn't worry as much when Justine decided to go into footy.
"My auntie was actually more worried than my mum; but look, I love playing sports.
"It was in 2013 when I was studying in Flinders University and one of my closest friends said she was starting to play football. I thought I would join so I could spend a little more time with her; so I signed up to the local footy club and played Division 2 for one or two years."
Justine shares that her first footy game "felt like freedom, running in a giant oval and [playing].
"I helped out with state training after being asked by my coach who was also the coach for Division 1. I did quite well.
"At first I didn't consider putting in my name for the draft; but I thought there was no harm in trying. Before you know it, I got a call from Bec Goddard [the head coach of the Adelaide Crows] that I've been drafted."
The Adelaide Crows are the most successful team in the AFLW (Australian Football League Women) having won premierships in 2017, 2019 and 2022.
Justine was drafted into the team in 2016.
"One of the reasons why we play footy and train so hard is to win premierships.
"The premiership was great [this year], seeing Adelaide finally come back to normal as we were before COVID. Having a great crowd make it even more special. It was one of my happiest days."
This is who I am
While winning a premiereship in the AFLW is something to be celebrated, the AFL is currently being scrutinised after a recent report commissioned by the league in 2021 was released by the University of Sydney. In the said document, female AFL umpires reveal instances of physical and emotional abuse due to their gender and race.
Justine, who is both a professional footy player and construction worker, shares, "I’ve been so lucky not to have experienced misogyny or racism; but [what female AFL umpires go through] should never happen. It’s shocking and so unfortunate."
"Every job should be for both males and females or whoever. People should just be able to do whatever they want with their lives."
Justine, who also works for the Adelaide City Council, in a photo with South Australia senator Penny Wong. Source: Justine Mules
Being female, half-Asian and queer, Justine knows all too well the backlash individuals can experience due to their desire to live how they want.
"My story was quite difficult at the beginning with my partner. We’ve been together for eight years now. My mum found it quite hard to adapt. She didn’t speak to me or my partner for six months.
Luckily, Justine's mum came to terms with her daughter's identity.
"We’re all good now. We’re best friends. Our relationship now is stronger than ever. She knows this is me, that this is who I am. She loves me for who I am. We’re very lucky that we’re accepted by family."
In as much as Justine is lucky with the family she has, she is lucky to be in the sport that she's in.
"I've only got a couple of years left in me. I want to be able to take on leadership roles in the future and hopefully then the AFLW will go pro. I want to support the next girls coming in the AFLW to really grow in their football careers.
"We've been lucky to have some supporters from the AFL to come on board for women as well. Our membership is dramatically increasing. Girls' participation have gone through the roof these past few years as well."
