Fejo makes the switch to footy

By PETER ARGENT

Adelaide Lightning development player Jasmin Fejo has signed with the Sturt Football Club for the 2023 Hostplus SANFL Women’s League campaign.

Having never played football before, the 177cm guard is excited to make the switch to handling the oval ball.

An Indigenous sporting talent from the Larrakia nation, who are the traditional owners of the Darwin region, Jasmin originally hails from Queensland.

“I’m excited to have a crack and master the skills of the game,” Fejo told sanfl.com.au

“I’ve always wanted to test myself as a footballer; I’m keen to learn the nuances of the game and develop my skills.

“My commitments to the Lightning come first, but it’s about being strong with my time management and managing my workloads around the various learning processes.

“The family has a rich history in basketball and there are also strong football connections.

“My sister Tahlia was on the Perth Lynx WNBL list for a couple of years and dad, Andrew, was good at both sports.

“My brother Daniel plays for the Woodville Warriors (NBL1 Central) and also was playing footy last winter.”

Jasmin’s cousin, Ronald Fejo, played a pair of SANFL League games for West Adelaide in 2021, while another cousin, Brandan Parfitt, is an accomplished Geelong footballer who featured in the Cats’ 2022 premiership.

Parfitt, who hails from the Northern Territory, came to Adelaide and played a few seasons with North Adelaide, including five SANFL League matches, before being drafted.

Fejo, 22, has plenty of commitments to fit into her schedule.

Along with football and basketball training, she is coaching in the junior basketball program at the Warriors, and next February, at the start of the SANFLW season, her son, Brooklyn, will be turning two.

There will be another season of NBL1 with the West Adelaide Bearcats, when Jasmin will be defending the title, after she was a key member of the 2022 championship win in early September this year.

Sturt’s women’s football program has been noted for its success in converting sportswomen from other disciplines.

“Among the other basketballers to play for Sturt’s Women’s team are Jess Good, Jess Foley, Caroline Burgess and Stephanie Ratliffe,” said Chris Trapp, Sturt’s Head of Football.

“Jess Good donned our Double Blues jumper for eight games in 2021 and has played 18 games with Carlton across the 2022 campaigns in AFLW.

“Jess Foley played a season for us in 2018, averaging an impressive 18.1 disposals per game, before becoming an Adelaide Crows premiership player in 2019.

“We have also had, via the Crows program, beach volleyballer Becchara Palmer in our system and Ally Ladas from Adelaide United soccer club at Unley as well.”

It will be interesting to follow Jasmin’s football journey as Sturt’s Women’s team aims to go one better and claim an historic first Premiership in 2023.

In doing so, Jasmin may be able to add a sought-after Premiership ring to her collection, having won an NBL1 ring in September with the Bearcats.