Caroline has her sights set on the Australian Women’s Gridiron team [1]
Friday, November 11, 2016 - 23:52
By Eleanor Gee
Gridiron player, Caroline Soakai-Poulsen has her sights set on making the Australian Women’s Gridiron team one day.
The 29-year-old plays defensive linesman for the Gold Coast Stingrays who are the current champions of the league in Queensland.
With Australia looking to select it’s first ever national gridiron team next year, the sport, also known as American football, is slowly gaining interest in the southern hemisphere as women make the shift from touch footy, rugby and rugby league, to try the nine a side modified game.
Caroline who is also known as KayKeii to her teammates and friends, started playing women’s gridiron or American Football in 2013 with the women’s Gold Coast Stingrays team in Queensland.
She says her friend asked her if she was interested in playing gridiron and says she’d never really seen herself as a gridiron player but decided to give it a go.
“When I first started, literally, I had no clue. I only watched NFL on TV.”
Since joining, she has learned to keep healthy and fit and in the process has lost a whopping 45 kg.
“I was quite big back then…like really huge.”
“So my first day at training I was just like baffled, confused. I was a really strong hitter and so they put me as defensive linesman and that’s what I’ve been playing ever since,” said Caroline.
“Even when I lost weight and stuff they all thought “no no, she’s not going to have that power” but I can still smash.”
Caroline has been with the Gold Coast Stingrays for a couple of seasons now and is the only Tongan on the team. She works fulltime and tries to balance work and playing football.
Born in Tonga, Caroline grew up going to Ocean of Light and Tonga Side School before heading off to high school in London. She now resides on the Gold Coast in Australia.
Gridiron Australia told Matangi Tonga that the national team has not been decided on just yet. A National Selection Camp for players will be held in February 2017 and the team will be announced after that camp. The Australian team will compete in the 2017 IFAF Womens World Championships.