Supporting women’s AFL: the connection between music and sports performance, family, dementia & wellbeing.

Did you know Attuned Health sponsor a player in the West Australian Football League Women’s (WAFLW)?

Music has a long standing connection with physical activity and is known to improve sports performance so we are proud to sponsor Tayla Thorogood from the Claremont Tigers. We sat down with Tayla to learn more about her, her football career and the role of music in her sporting and home life.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how football fits into your life?
I am a high school science teacher and play for Claremont Women’s Football Club. Football has been a big part of my life for a very long time. I have loved watching it from a young age, and this is my fifth season in WAFLW.

What does being able to play football mean to you?
I used to play Auskick when I was younger however, when I was 10, I was told I couldn’t play anymore as the competition didn’t allow girls past this age. I still loved my footy and my dad would take me to the AFL games every second weekend. It wasn’t until the launch of the AFLW competition was announced that I found out there was actually a female competition running in Perth. Being able to play a sport I love, and being surrounded by the most incredible people, is pretty significant. It is much more than just running out on the field for a few hours every weekend. I look forward to training and pushing myself to the next level. It provides an escape from the stresses of every day life, and I have made some of the most incredible friendships through the sport.

Is there anything you wish people knew about Women’s football?
I wish people recognised the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that goes into playing football. There are a lot of people who are quite negative about the women’s competition but what they don’t realise is that a lot of women who are playing have not had the same pathways as men. Most of us have not been playing from a young age and some have had breaks in their career to have children. We also do not get paid, we actually have to pay to play. For me personally, I make a 1.5 hour round trip 3 times during the week to train, plus time and travel for game days each weekend. I also work full-time in a very demanding job so often find myself up until early hours of the morning, finishing off my marking, catching up on emails, or planning for the next day. In the very limited spare time I have between teaching and playing, I try my best to support my mum in caring for my step dad who has dementia. A social life during season is basically non-existent. These are just some of the things I have to balance to make it possible to run out onto the field each weekend, and I know a lot of other women make similar sacrifices or more just to play.

Your step dad has young onset dementia, what role does a shared love of Australian rules footy play in your relationship?
Mike came into my life when I was 13 and we immediately bonded over our passion for football. He used to be a really talented footballer and would always be keen to share his stories or show me pictures of him playing. Since his diagnosis, he struggles to find motivation to do things, but has never lost his passion for football. He can tell you almost anything about it, and can sing most of the team songs. It has been hard seeing him deteriorate over the last few years, but being able to watch football together, hearing him tell me stories about his games, or facts he knows about past or present players, will be something I will remember forever.

I understand music is also an important part of that relationship, can you say more about that?
Mike also has a passion for music and I often have music playing while I get ready, or while I am doing things around the home. Sometimes I will hear him singing along in the background, which always brings a smile to my face. I heard the quote “music is the only medicine the heart and soul needs” and I feel like that is so true. If Mike is stressed, we will listen to music, have a bit of a sing along, and you can see him return to his happy place.

Does music play a role in yours and your teams pre and/or post game routine? If so, how?
Absolutely! Music plays a massive part in our pregame routine. It starts on the way to the game - I personally prefer to listen to upbeat, positive vibe kind of music, while others listen to very relaxing music. We have our team chat and have some quiet time while we get ready, but as soon as our warm up starts, the music is loud and energetic. It helps us get into the right mindset, shake off any nerves, and get us pumped up before running out.

What music are you enjoying listening to at the moment and why?
At the moment I have enjoyed listening to relaxing music – Jack Botts, Ziggy Alberts, Mitch James, those kinds of artists. I think with how busy my life is at the moment, listening to that kind of music just calms everything down and helps me to unwind!

To learn more about music and sport performance you can check out Costas Karageorghis’s book Applying music in exercise and sport.