The first thing Haley Haley Fleming's friends ask her when she tells them she plays American football is: "do they actually play that in Australia?" Then their questions turn to her safety.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"They think I'm too small," she says. "I do get smacked around a bit, but the good thing about my height is that I can get really low."
Across Melbourne, teams of men, women and kids are pulling on pads and helmets to play American football. It's a small but passionate league, thousands of kilometres from the sport's traditional heartland.
The introduction of free-to-air coverage of National Football League games a few years ago has given the sport a presence in Australia. Since then its popularity has exploded. In the 2009 there were five clubs, now there are 13.
The sport has struck gold in recent weeks, as local sport fans cheer ex-Parramatta star Jarryd Hayne in his bid to win a spot on the San Francisco roster.
Hayne's highlights have featured in news bulletins across the country, providing invaluable exposure for a sport which is the national pastime of the United States but a curiosity in Australia.
Gridiron Victoria president Sam Weller says the biggest boon for the sport was when Channel Ten began showing NFL on its digital channel a few years ago. It laid a foundation for the sport to capitalise on Hayne's success.
"It creates a term of reference, a sense of understanding and familiarity," he said
"I think it will drive a lot of junior interest – we are already seeing people get in touch. The majority of our enquiries are from 12-to-14-year-olds."
In Victoria, women's gridiron has seen particularly rapid growth. There was just one team in 2012, now there are six.
Weller think ones of the reasons for the sport's increasing popularity is the diversity of body size and shape of the players. He says this can't necessarily be said for sports like AFL and soccer.
"We have kids who were perhaps bullied for their size and you put a helmet on them and they become a dangerous weapon," he says.
Mr Weller says Hayne's success shows there is a pathway for Australians to make it in the sport. It follows in the wake of a handful of former AFL players, including Darren Bennett, Saverio Rocca and Ben Graham, who landed NFL contracts.
"I think it will prove that Australians can do it," he says.
"It will give people hope, we've already had enquiries from scouts wanting to know when games are on," he says.
Fleming says she decided to sign up for the Melbourne University Chargers after "a couple of pints" and some encouragement from her boyfriend, who plays in the men's league.
"I enjoy the running around and hitting," she says. "Especially when I've been in bad spots in my life, I find it gives me a lot of focus."
