Averyl Mitchell is creating quite the reputation on and off the field in the world of rugby union. Not only is she a budding Super W player but also Queensland Rugby Union (QRU)’s trusty graphic designer. She has also been named in the Wallaroos first squad, set to represent Queensland and now Australia for the first time in the same year.
This year, Mitchell has seamlessly juggled training at Ballymore and a part-time graphic designer workload. Now, these two may sound like an unlikely match, but for Mitchell working with QRU on and off the field is something of a dream – the breezy commute to training is always a plus too.
Mitchell said she found her passion for rugby at a young age. “My first rugby memory is watching Australia vs England in the final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup. I remember how special it was because my brother and I were allowed to stay up after our bedtime and slept in the lounge-room that night. I remember being devastated that we lost,” she said.
As a female rugby player, Mitchell said that the most important challenging part of it is creating a positive mindset. “Everyone is different in what they struggle with – for me, it’s been a lot of trying to be in the right headspace. It took a year away from rugby union for me to find my love for it again and really start to enjoy it. I worked on myself a lot as a person and how I deal with things. So, for me headspace has always and probably will always be a challenge but I’m up for it and I’m learning more and more about what works for me every day.”
Working at QRU as a graphic designer has helped Mitchell to combine her two passions. “I suppose I juggle it by starting early so I can leave earlier and just prioritising footy over other things in my life. It just means that outside of work and footy – there’s not a huge amount of time left over for anything else.”
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