Leonie Young

1ST INDIGENOUS WOMAN TO PLAY FOR QUEENSLAND

Leonie Young (nee Yow Yeh) started playing in 1977. She credits Bert Fry (Mitchelton) for her ball control, movement and reading of the game. The speed was all her own. She was the first indigenous female to play in the Mitchelton Seniors, one of, if not, the first to play in the elite Brisbane Women’s competition, and the first indigenous woman to play for Queensland – she played between 1980 and 1983. Alongside her Mum, Iris, Leonie was instrumental in bringing Tiwiwarrin, Brisbane’s first indigenous football team, into being. They played as a club in City leagues for almost 20 years.