Travels From Victoria
Debbie Lee
Pioneer of women's football and first female to be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame.
Debbie Lee brings a lived perspective shaped by her experience across elite sport, leadership, business, and life. Debbie is a true leader and change agent with deep insight into building strong cultures and high-performance environments across sport and business. She is experienced in developing high-performing teams and is passionate about equity, inclusion, and creating environments where people can thrive and grow.
Often referred as a pioneer of women’s football, Debbie has spent over 30 years in the game and 18 years in the AFL industry. She was instrumental in establishing the AFLW competition and has made it accessible for half the population to now have access to the game, like we know it today.
Debbie is currently the National Women and Girl's Action Plan Lead at the AFL. She previously held position as the General Manager of Women's Football at both the Western Bulldogs' and Melbourne Football Club.
She was also the first woman inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame, recognised for the role she has played in revolutionising Australian rules football.
But her impact goes well beyond the footy field.
Debbie is the co-founder of Belong & Bloom with her partner, an inclusive clothing brand inspired by her daughter Stevie. Built from a very real and personal journey navigating neurodiversity, the brand is all about awareness, empathy, and belonging. What started from love, frustration, and a desire to be understood has grown into something much bigger, helping create a world where kids like Stevie don’t just fit in, they truly belong and bloom.
She’s also part owner of The W Club, the only venue of its kind in Australia, a space dedicated to celebrating and elevating women’s sport. The W Club brings people together who genuinely care about women’s sport, it’s more than just showing sport, it’s a place to support women in sport, show up, and be part of changing the fabric of how we see, watch and cheer on our sporting heroes. It’s another just another way to show that women’s sport matters and people genuinely want to be part of it.
Debbie is also launching The Allow Podcast in October with her sister, a life coach based in LA. Together, they will dive into growth, mindset, and practical tools that help women move through what holds them back, taking meaningful action toward the life they truly want.
Debbie is also a proud mum of Stevie and Mack and has a great unconventional family story, that only adds to her fascinating journey.
Debbie brings honesty, authenticity, and lived experience to everything she does. Whether speaking on leadership, resilience, inclusion, or change, she connects in an authentic way, leaving audiences inspired and ready to take action.