AFLW player Tayla Harris was at work on the footy field when she kicked a goal. A photo of the kick taken by Michael Willson showcased her incredible athletic ability and was posted online. What happened next was an extraordinary turning point in Taylas life. The photo quickly became iconic as Tayla stood strong against the online trolls.
This is the inspiring story of Taylas stellar sporting career so far, and her hard-earned advice to young people navigating the ups and downs of social media.
Tayla is showing young women that you can wear glitzy gowns and rock stilettos, and you can also be a hardcore athlete who sweats and spits and kicks the footy, as well as a total dag in tracky-dacks with food-stains on your front.
Patty Kinnersly
The best way to show them is to show them up.
Warren Harris
First published by Allen & Unwin in 2020
Copyright Tayla Harris and Jennifer Castles, 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.
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ISBN 9781760525804
ISBN 9781760874131 (eBook)
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Cover and text design by Sandra Nobes
Set in 12 pt Mont Book by Sandra Nobes
Photo opposite and on p79 and silhouette on cover and pi by Michael Willson/AFL Photos
Before the photo, not many people knew who I was.
Even now, if someone says my name the response will usually be, Tayla who?
Then theyll say something like, Womens footy... kick... photo... trolls...
And the penny drops. Oh yeah, right her.
That photo turned my life upside-down.
Some of what came after was scary and distressing and confronting and I wouldnt wish it on anyone. But most of what came after was inspiring and uplifting and amazingly cool.
n | exposed an ugly side of human beings Id never experienced before |
n | forced me to dig deep and bring out strengths I didnt know I had |
n | gave me opportunities I never dreamed of |
n | showed people around the world that AFLW has arrived |
n | gave me a taste of the fear some women feel every day of their lives |
AND IT TAUGHT ME SO MUCH.
Writing a book has never been on my to-do list and, to be honest, a year ago it was the last thing on my mind. But after it all blew up I was continually being asked about the kick, the photo and the trolling. There was a ton of media surrounding the story and I needed to set the record straight.
I also wanted to share what Id learned from the experience. I figure if I can help just one young person feel better about navigating social media, then this is a good way to do it.
Ive put in some background about the influences that shaped me and a few of the people who are important to me so you can see where Im coming from.
And theres lots of stuff about the socials the good, the bad and the ugly with bits of advice that Ive picked up along the way.
Also photos. Lots of photos.
1. TAYLA WHO?
I grew up in the northern suburbs of Brisbane with my dad, Warren, my mum, Lisa, and my brother, Jack, who is two years older than me.
Mum and Jack are business-minded brainiacs while me and Dad are sports-mad fitness freaks.
My parents have always been incredibly hands-on and supportive of whatever we kids choose to do.
There are girls who like ballet and there are girls who like football. Every one of them has to find their place and every one of them has the right to take that place.
Warren Harris (Dad)
One of the Boys
When I was five I would tag along when Mum and Dad took Jack to the under-7s footy practice. The team was called the Aspley Hornets. I had my own ball and Id kick it around on the sidelines. I was desperate to play.
One day the Hornets were a team member short so they roped me in. They put a guernsey on me and I threw myself into the game. I kicked about six goals and ran over about six boys. Thats how I started. Ive literally never stopped.
The boys we played against were scared of me to begin with. It was totally unexpected for them. I wouldnt back off for anyone. On the sidelines their parents were saying, Get her off. What are our boys supposed to do with a girl? They cant touch her. Its not fair.
That changed once they could see that I was just as willing to scrap as the boys were. They soon figured out that I wasnt easy to mess with and that they should treat me the same. Besides, I played in the ruck so there was no avoiding me!