Olivia Manfre was born to become an Australian Rules Football player. Now, the 20-year-old finds herself in Malaysia, poised to proudly make her debut for the Australian Women’s flag football national team.
Olivia recently completed a season in the Victoria Football League with the Essendon Bombers, a team she joined at least as a registered supporter the day she was born, such was her parents’ passion for the sport she and most Australians know as ‘footy’. She began playing at the age of 12 and progressed to fulfil a destiny of representing the team she supports in the VFL, one step below the elite AFLW level she one day hopes to reach.
Like many athletes, Olivia sought out an offseason sport to help maintain her fitness and that’s when she caught the flag football bug.