Belinda Clark has lived and breathed the Australian sporting landscape her entire life. She understands what it takes to lead and succeed.

The former Australian cricket captain - and now of Legend status in the Sport Hall of Fame - has been monumental for Carlton's AFLW program. 

Having been captain at just 23 years old, Clark can relate to juggling sporting life and outside life at a young age - an area she believes is important to acknowledge in the sporting world.

“I captained Australia when I was 23, so there are some similarities with where Abbie is at the moment,” Clark told Carlton Media.

“In women’s sport at the moment, a lot of young athletes are getting the opportunity to lead. I understand what it’s like to be organising your life around sport, and trying to take every opportunity.

“I understand people are still running two careers, and running in a male-dominated environment. While it was some time ago, those issues are still in our system.

“Cricket pathways were not dissimilar to how football would’ve been at that time: big gaps. If you were in it you knew what your next step was, but if you were outside of it wasn’t as obvious."

Stepping into a Leadership Consultant role for Carlton’s AFLW team in 2023, Clark's lived experiences have driven stellar on field results and off field expectations, maintaining that trust between players, coaches and leaders is what drives success.

“The relationship between captain and coach is really important … I feel like Abbie [McKay] has that relationship with Mathew Buck, and Kerryn [Peterson] did too.”

“It’s not just head coach and captain, it’s all of the staff. It’s about how you relate to those people and how you advocate for the playing group.

“I think what Abbie’s done really well is she has developed really solid relationships across the playing group. I feel like all the leaders here have done that really well, they’ve invested in relationships and we are seeing the fruits of their labour three or four years [on].

“This way, you can lead regardless of the situation, because you’ve done the work beforehand to build the trust. People understand you’re in it for the group, not for yourself.”

With much to look forward to in her role, the bigger picture is important to Clark as she reflects on how much women’s sport has grown.

“Growth has come from exposure. If you’re on television screens and in people’s consciousness, then you have the chance to create a fanbase. That to me in the last 10 years has been the biggest change.

“It’s no longer do women play football, they know because it is in front of them.”