At 31 years of age, Kate Surman has played 40 games of AFLW across five seasons and three clubs.

But the experienced forward still struggles to call herself an athlete.

"I feel uncomfortable saying that," Surman says.

Last year, the AFL Women's competition expanded to include teams representing all 18 AFL clubs.

Yet, as it stands, there are only 10 rounds of regular competition.

That compares to 24 rounds of the AFL men's competition, after an extra round was introduced this year. 

Ideally, Surman would like to see AFLW expand to 17 rounds, to enable all teams to play each other once. 

As per the recently-announced Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the number of AFLW games will increase to 12 in 2025, but further increases are yet to be promised.

Surman references a recent podcast in which controversial former AFL player Wayne Carey claimed he "can't take [AFLW] seriously".

"Because AFLW is only ten rounds, I look at it as a Mickey Mouse competition," Carey said on The Truth Hurts.

"I think that's a pretty fair comment," Surman says.

"He's not devaluing our product; he's saying give them more games.

"You're not giving AFLW legitimacy if the season is only 10 games."

Players will find it harder to balance work and football

Having now represented the Gold Coast Suns, Port Adelaide and Geelong across five seasons, Surman is in a unique position to assess the way the competition has evolved.

While she notes that it is difficult to compare across clubs, she says "professionalism has gone up" broadly.

"All the skill levels have gone up. And I've noticed we're playing more intelligent footy; smarter footy instead of just 'surge' footy.

"I think that's where we're gonna start seeing those people who are like 'oh I don't watch women's footy' get behind us.

"Like after we played round one this season, a lot of people came up and said, 'oh, you guys were actually pretty good.'"

Surman argues the previous CBA, in which players received a 94 per cent pay rise, has made a significant difference.

Put simply, Surman says, "more money means more time."

As the competition trends towards full-time professionalism, however, she envisions some growing pains.

As it stands, most players continue to balance part-time work with football.

Surman, for example, works 30 hours a week as a physio in an aged care facility. 

Under the new CBA, AFLW players will receive an average wage of $60,000 in 2023, rising to $82,000 in 2027.

But as Surman explains it, as the players are paid better, there is also an expectation that they prioritise football full-time.

This includes attending training sessions during 'routine' work hours.

"It just means players are going to have to limit the amount of work they do [outside of football]," she says.

"I just think it means you'll lose some of the 25 to 27-year-olds who have established careers and can't really afford to only have the one wage, if they're paid at the lower end of the scale."

She also cites concerns about the resourcing of coaching and support staff.

As it stands, few AFLW employees (such as physiotherapists and other medical staff) are employed in a full-time capacity, with many 'doubling up' across both the men's and women's programs.

Why Surman plays for Geelong, but lives on the Gold Coast 

Surman is aware that at 31, she will retire as one of a pioneering generation who faced unique challenges.

In a situation that will likely no longer be feasible when players become full-time, she currently lives on the Gold Coast despite playing for Geelong in regional Victoria.

She describes it as a "six months on, six months off" arrangement, where she arrives in Victoria a couple of weeks before pre-season, and departs after the season ends.

In doing so, she leaves behind her partner Brett and their labradoodle Doug for half a year at a time.

"We're lucky enough that our relationship is strong enough for it to work," Surman says.

Were she in her mid to late 20s, Surman says, she would consider moving permanently.

However, Brett only recently started his plumbing business, and they own a house together in Queensland.

"We're very settled … and he understands that it's a dream for me to play for Geelong."

That dream goes back to childhood, when Surman grew up with a family of "massive" Cats supporters in Ballarat.

She remembers attending games at a standing-room-only Kardinia Park, and idolising the men's team.

"I had the woollen jumper, and a CD with all the Geelong songs on it," she says.

"I even knew the second verse of the theme song."

Footy stigmatised as a 'butch' sport

But despite her passion for football, Surman never played football as a kid (outside of Auskick).

"Obviously there were no pathways," she says.

"But you also can't deny the stigma that comes with playing football [as a girl].

The stigma initially turned Surman off playing.

"I've had this discussion with a couple of people who were the same, and they were kicking themselves a little bit that they didn't start earlier."

Surman went on to pursue basketball instead, before eventually coming back to football after the first season of AFLW.

A friend was selected as a top-up player for Carlton, which inspired her to come back to the game she loved.

She started with local footy at Maroochydore, before eventually being drafted by the Suns.

"I'm just grateful, because a lot of people didn't even get a chance," Surman says.

'It's worth remembering how far we've come'

That doesn't mean she isn't jealous of those starting their footballing journeys now.

"I'm definitely a bit jealous, because they've got so much more of a sense of 'one day I'm gonna be able to do this'.

"But then I'm also very lucky because I had the opportunity to work."