A rarity in the sporting world, Cat Phillips (AUS) is a multi-sport athlete, who competes in both ultimate - flying disc and Australian football. She is the co-founder of the Australian Ultimate League – the only mixed-gender, semi-professional field sport in the world.
When the Australian Ultimate League was last played in 2019, Phillips was awarded the Davis Medal as female Most Valuable Player for the 2019 season. Phillips is a campaigner for gender equality, which this month attracted the attention of CNN.
Cat Phillips was born in London, but she grew up in Melbourne, Australia. During her youth she tried a lot of sports, including netball, athletics and water polo, but in 2007 she fell in love with ultimate. “It’s kind of like a combination of netball and American football. It’s non-contact, you can’t run with the disc and you have to throw it between seven people on your team. To score a goal you have to catch it in the try area, like an end zone in American football”, Phillips says.
The American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) was founded in 2010, and its inaugural season was played in 2012. However, the league was created for men's teams only, as were many other leagues in the world too – either only for men, or for men and women but separately. In 2018, when Phillips started the Australian Ultimate League (AUL), they opted for a different approach, creating the world's first mixed-gender league to provide an equal opportunity for men and women to compete.
CNN writes: “What Phillips has done by creating a mixed-gender league is not only in line with the sport's highest level – it's played as a mixed sport at The World Games – but also with the International Olympic Committee's vision to create a more gender-equitable Games by including more mixed events.”
Currently, Phillips is competing in the Australian Football League, with the goal of winning the Premiership trophy at the end of April. At the same time, she continues to train for her other goal of competing in her third edition of The World Games for Australia in Ultimate in 2022.
As The World Games Athlete of the Month, Cat Phillips will receive The World Games Athlete of the Month diploma as well as a branded gift from the Official Sponsor of Athlete of the Month, Protective Life.
Cat recently shared more with Protective Life about ultimate flying disk, campaigning for gender equality, and what brought her to compete in two sports.
Q: How long have you been competing in ultimate flying disk and Australian football? What about the sports compelled you to try it out?
I started playing ultimate when I was 17, so I have been playing for about 12 years now. I picked up AFL more recently when the professional Women's competition was started back in 2017. I've just completed my fifth season of AFLW.
When I was a kid, I did everything my older sister did, including following her around to every sport she played. I picked up ultimate because she started playing it at University, which was interesting as there weren't many other u18 players playing in my home state at that time. From the first time I played I absolutely loved it. There is so much freedom to run around on the field, so many new skills to learn, and an incredible culture of fair play and sportsmanship.
AFL is the most popular sport in Australia and growing up everyone I knew barracked for their favorite footy team. My family has always been footy mad, and I spent basically every weekend as a teenager at the footy. When the AFLW was announced, it was my dream come true to test myself as an athlete against the best competition I could, while also being able to take part in the sport that was such a large part of my childhood. I went along to a draft combine, was drafted to Melbourne Football Club as a Rookie / Cross code athlete, and never looked back.
Q: What brought you to compete in two sports?
AFLW and ultimate are generally complementary in terms of the skills and attributes required to compete at the top level, and I absolutely love playing them both, so I have never really considered giving either of them up. It's a bit of a challenge juggling two sports with work, but I've learnt to fit everything in and have a pretty good balance now. Footy is still part time and our contracts only run for six months of the year, so it works quite well to use frisbee as cross training in the off season.
Q: Can you describe your sports in three words?
AFLW - physical, inclusive, pioneering
Ultimate - skillful, agile, spirited
Q: You were recently recognized by CNN as you campaigned for gender equality. What would you like to share from that experience?
I am passionate about continuing to push the boundaries of where women's sport can go. Around the world we're starting to see how awesome women's sport is when it receives proper investment, support and coverage, and I'm excited about being part of the AFLW at a time when our league can be a real leader in this space. There is still generally a lack of understanding around the barriers that women face when it comes to sport, so opportunities like this and the CNN article, which allow us to share stories and build connections in the wider community, are vital.
Ultimate has always been a great example of how mixed gender sports can provide opportunities and space for female athletes to thrive, and I feel lucky that I started my sporting career in this environment. As I move towards the latter part of my career, I want to do everything I can to make sure that female athletes in the AFLW can feel respected, valued and supported, as I did when I started out my ultimate career.
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Last year I was named captain of the Australian ultimate team as we prepared for the 2020 World Championships. The Championships ended up being cancelled, but I am still most proud of this achievement. I have so much respect for the amazing, powerful women who made up this team, and being chosen to lead them was a huge honor.
Q: What legacy do you hope to leave in your sport?
I love thinking big and dreaming of doing things that no one else has done before. I want to leave a legacy where other players feel empowered to do this, on and off the field. To set their sights on crazy goals, and then to do whatever it takes to get there.
Congratulations to Cat on being named March’s Athlete of the Month, and we’re looking forward to cheering you on in the future!
Read more about Cat and previous Athlete of the Month honorees on The World Games website.
