Women who play footy at Aussie Rules club level aren't paid, yet men are

Women trying to get drafted into the AFLW must work full time, travel thousands of kilometres a week, and forgo local finals glory to play unpaid club footy while their male counterparts are getting paid to play.

It's a situation faced by more than a dozen NT hopefuls as they desperately do all they can, including abandoning their local teams pre-finals, to play their hearts out and hopefully get noticed down south.

Sarah Steele-Park, a hard-working full-time secondary school teacher in Central Australia, plays for North Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League on weekends, 1,300km away.

She's one of several Central Australian players who fly to Adelaide at the weekend for games.

Although they play for different teams, they train together four evenings a week in Alice Springs.

«Because we don't get paid for it, we have to work,» she said.

«Girls are giving up shifts on weekends and Fridays, because we fly out that day.

»You've got to fit all your training and your work commitments from nine-to-five during the week. So that's your social life gone out the window. It's a balancing act.

«It's quite a big sacrifice.»

While the clubs pay for the flights, Ms Steele-Park jokes that her only payment for footy is the frequent flyer points.

Young men playing Aussie Rules at club level in Victoria, WA, and SA can get paid for games, and club members usually assist players in finding accommodation and employment which works around their training and playing obligations.

«We have no other options until we get to that professional league (AFLW) where we can make that extra bit of money,» she said.

«But until we get paid the same as the men, it's not feasible.

»Until that gender pay gap closes, it's looking like we're going to be