Chelsea’s grandmother, Rose Pember, was an enormous influence on her young life and career. Some days she sat in the driving rain watching her grand daughter play football. If Chelsea could play in the rain, then she could watch in the rain.
In her own words, Chelsea Randall was tired.
Tired of trying to be all things to all people, tired of doing everything in the football world, and deeply grieving the passing of her grandma.
Her grandma had championed her playing football when society ridiculed girls playing.
Some wintry days, Rose Pember sat in the rain watching her granddaughter play, refusing to go in under shelter with everyone else.
If Chelsea could play in the rain, then she could watch in the rain.
Sometimes relationships are seamlessly close and so deeply nourishing that the influence stays a lifetime.
They sang together, cooked apricot chicken together, and sewed together, immersing the young girl from country WA in a sure footing of love and the value of family.
The passing of Chelsea Randall’s grandma hit hard.
She needed space to re-evaluate a life filled with football at the time – playing, coaching, umpiring, working and volunteering. Football was hard without her biggest supporter. Life was hard.
Chelsea Randall needed time and space, and she took that step, living in a caravan in the deep south of WA with her dog Koda, waking to the alarm at 5am and working as a motorbike postie.
She then moved north to Newman working for a community organisation, irrevocably committed to learning from whatever life presented to her.
Then everything changed.
The Adelaide Football Club, in an alliance with the AFL Northern Territory, was admitted to the new AFLW, and the Crows came calling, wanting to sign the young woman as a marquee player before the draft.
Sensing her grandma’s support for the idea, she promised herself six months in Adelaide to test the waters in this new AFLW.
A widely respected star of the competition, Chelsea Randall ultimately guided the Crows to the inaugural AFLW Premiership and earned All Australian selection in 2017.
In 2018 she was elevated to captaincy of the All-Australian team and to the Crows Club Champion. Randall became a three-time All-Australian in 2019 as she co-captained the Crows to their second Premiership.
By 2021 she had guided Adelaide to its third premiership. She has been judged the AFLW’s Most Courageous Player six times, surprising given that she first played football for the Safety Bay Stingers.
