Susan Alberti: More than football

Susan Alberti: More Than Football

 

Despite all the success that has come her way, Susan Alberti insists that ‘it’s not about me’.

 

The powerful business woman’s new book ‘The Footy Lady’ is launching this coming Tuesday, and Alberti sat down at the Sports Writers Festival to give us an insight to the book, the memories and the people behind her journey.

 

Susan Alberti’s daughter had a dying wish: for her mother to tell her story. So, that’s exactly what she’s doing.

 

And it’s one hell of a story.

 

She’s a driven woman, who, despite adversities that would have deterred a lesser human, has managed to set, achieve and re-set many goals with fearlessness and ferociousness.

 

Alberti is the poster child for resilience.

 

She’s driven by three life goals. To date, she’s accomplished two of these and is tirelessly working on the third, which is the most challenging.

 

The first two, she’s most famous for.

 

As former Vice-President of the Western Bulldogs, Alberti played a vital role off the field to help the Doggies secure their first premiership in 62 years.

 

That was life goal one.

 

But achieving life goal two – establishing a professional AFL Women’s League, is the achievement Alberti will be most remembered for and inevitably most proud of.

 

Her “never say die” attitude and engaging personality made her the perfect fit to lead women’s AFL onto the main stage.

 

She worked through 55 years of slammed doors and ignored opportunities to finally witness Women’s Football, all of her hard work finally paying off.

 

However, her third life goal is the toughest challenge of all. Finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes – the disease that prematurely ended the life of her daughter Danielle.

 

There’s still no cure, but Alberti is determined to find one.

 

One of her idols, Tony Liberatore, resonates closely with Alberti. “I like him because he’s tough and I’m tough.”

 

It’s through this willpower that she has kept going, for Danielle and for everyone to one day reach her final goal.

 

She beat adversity and came out on top, representing all women; in sport and in life along the way.

 

She’s humble yet tough, relentless yet patient.

 

She’s a friend of everyone and a hero to so many.

 

She’s more than football, she’s here for everyone.

 

 

About Anna Pavlou

Anna 'Pav' Pavlou is a current student and a born and bred Melburnian who has a passion for sport and sharing people's stories. She is an intern journalist for AFL VICTORIA and writes for The Roar, the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA Media), the Mongrel Punt and is a Melbourne Cricket Club contributor. She also appears on North West FM 98.9 radio show. Most winter weekends you'll find her down at the Ross Gregory Oval in St Kilda, supporting Power House FC, who play in Division 2 in the VAFA. She works as the Division 2 writer for the VAFA. She completed work experience with 3AW Radio and has been published in The Age as well as with Carlton FC and Geelong Cats. Check out her website below for more sport pieces!

Comments

  1. Susan is a terrific role model for so many of us. Watching her interact with Mo Hope on Australian Story last year it was plain to see she occupies the role of mentor and friend effortlessly, despite their differences in age, background, socio-economics etc.

    Type 1 is a bastard of a thing, but if anyone is going to help drive a breakthrough in its eradication, it’ll be Susan’s will and resilience that does it.

    Thanks for the story, Anna.

    P.S. There is one aspect of Ms. Alberti that I can’t bring myself to support…after what Libba did to Matty Knight’s face I can’t in good conscience back her idolising!

  2. Hi Anna,

    I enjoyed listening to her life story at the Sports Writers Festival and her attitudes are so inspiring. As in my article of the conference, I can adopt her never give up attitudes.

    She is a good role model and a strong woman. I admire her a lot.

    I would suggest her to set up a fundraising match in women’s footy for the Type 1 diabetes, like St Kilda organise the Maddie Riewoldt Vision Match.

    All the best.

    Yoshi

  3. Author is Stephanie Asher who has just been elected as a Geelong councillor.

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