Sophie Alexander (footballer)

Sophie Alexander (born 25 May 1993) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Essendon in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She was a South East Australian Basketball League basketballer before taking up football in the Victorian Women's Football League. Alexander spent a year in Collingwood's VFL Women's (VFLW) team before ascending to the senior list through the 2018 AFLW draft, where she played until the end of the 2022 AFL Women's season 6.

Sophie Alexander
Alexander post-match with Essendon in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth	(1993-05-25) 25 May 1993 (age 32)
Original team(s)	Redan (VWFL)
Draft	No. 29, 2018 AFLW draft
Debut	Round 1, 2019, Collingwood vs. Geelong, at GMHBA Stadium
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Club information
Current club	Essendon
Number	24
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2019–2022 (S6)	Collingwood	31 (16)
2022 (S7)–	Essendon	21 (11)
Total		52 (27)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2023 season.
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Early sporting career

Alexander played basketball for the Ballarat Rush in the South East Australian Basketball League. After five years with the Rush, she took up football in 2016 with Redan Football Club in the Victorian Women's Football League, playing six matches.^[1] Alexander also started playing for the Horsham Lady Hornets in the Country Basketball League.^[2] In 2017, she played 13 games with the Eastern Devils in the VFL Women's, playing in the forward line and midfield. Coach Brendan Major noted her ability to score from outside the 50-metre arc, a rarity in women's football.^[1] Alexander was invited to the 2017 AFLW draft combine^[1] but was not selected in the 2017 draft.^[3] She joined Collingwood's VFLW side in 2018 and was named in the VFLW Team of the Year on the interchange bench.^[4] Alexander was also the club's leading goalkicker.^[5]

AFL Women's career

Alexander playing for Collingwood's VFLW team in 2018

Collingwood (2019–2022)

For the 2018 AFLW draft, Collingwood was granted two chances to pre-select recruits to compensate for losing players to injury and rival clubs, using a similar bidding mechanism to the father–daughter rule. Collingwood chose Alexander and Erica Fowler; an unspecified club bid on Alexander, requiring Collingwood to match the bid with its following available selection: pick 29.^[4] Alexander kicked the first goal of the 2019 AFLW season in her opening round debut; however, she was concussed in the third quarter after a marking contest.^[6]

Essendon (2022–present

In May 2022, Alexander left Collingwood to join expansion club Essendon.^[7]

Statistics

Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2022 (S6) season.^[8]

Legend

G	Goals	K	Kicks	D	Disposals	T	Tackles
B	Behinds	H	Handballs	M	Marks

Season	Team	No.	Games	Totals							Averages (per game)
				G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T
2019	Collingwood	24	4	1	2	17	5	22	7	5	0.3	0.5	4.3	1.3	5.5	1.8	1.3
2020	Collingwood	24	5	3	2	12	8	20	8	5	0.6	0.4	2.4	1.6	4.0	1.6	1.0
2021	Collingwood	24	11	6	10	40	38	78	22	11	0.5	0.9	3.6	3.5	7.1	2.0	1.0
2022 (S6)	Collingwood	24	11	6	5	37	25	62	20	10	0.5	0.5	3.4	2.3	5.6	1.8	0.9
Career			31	16	19	106	76	182	57	31	0.5	0.6	3.4	2.5	5.9	1.8	1.0

Personal life

Alexander is from Ballarat, Victoria, and studied paramedicine and nursing at university.^[5]