Chelsea Randall Retires from AFLW Due to Concussions

AFL Women's

Monday, June 29, 2026, at 12:14 pm

Chelsea Randall is a famous player for the Crows.

In short:

Chelsea Randall has retired from the AFLW because of concussion problems.

She is 35 and has won three premierships, but missed a grand final due to concussion.

What's next?

Many Australian Rules players have been diagnosed with a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Chelsea Randall says concussions left her no choice but to retire for her health and family.

She played 80 games for the Crows and was captain for eight seasons but missed a grand final due to concussion.

The club said her decision was due to concussion issues after talking to doctors and specialists.

At a media conference, Randall explained her decision and got emotional thinking about giving up the game.

The final straw was experiencing starry vision after a recent training drill.

A few weeks ago, she had starry vision after minor bumps during training, and it happened again after another incident.

It became clear her brain and body couldn't handle minor bumps without concussion issues.

After talking to her club doctor, the AFL, and specialists, they recommended she retire.

She has no choice but to make the safest decision for her health and family, so she retires from football with sadness.

Chelsea Randall was ruled out of the 2021 AFLW grand final due to concussion.

Among her achievements are five All-Australian selections, including as captain in 2018, and being named Crows club champion.

She's grateful to the Adelaide footy club for supporting her on and off the field for 10 seasons.

The club helped shape her into the person she is today, and she's proud to have played for the Crows.

She's sad her playing career is over, but she's excited for new adventures with her little boy and prioritizes her brain health.

Chelsea Randall received applause at the announcement.

Her retirement comes as dozens of Australian Rules players have been diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease CTE.

Randall missed the 2021 grand final after a collision during the preliminary final, which highlighted concussion in women's sport.

She suffered other concussions in the same season and in 2025, and a serious head knock in 2018.

After praising the club and teammates, Randall thanked her family for their love and support and received applause.

She wanted to make her family proud and leave the club and competition in a better place.

Chelsea Randall has announced her retirement from the AFLW.

Crows executive general manager AFLW Bree Brock described Randall as a leader and champion whose career showed courage, resilience, and elite ability.

Chelsea has consistently set the standard through her actions.

When Chelsea arrived at the Crows in 2017, there were 2,741 women and girls playing football in South Australia.

Now, that number has surged to 11,822, and Chelsea's role in growing the game should not be underestimated.

Crows chief executive Tim Silvers said Randall had been a trailblazer for the club.

Tim Silvers stood alongside Chelsea Randall.

Chelsea set the tone and culture for the Crows from the start, leading to three premierships in a decade.

It's not just what she's done for the Crows, but for the competition, and they're proud of her achievements on and off the field.

She'd be hard pressed not to get a statue in her honor.

Not goodbye forever

Chelsea Randall was asked about the AFL concussion class action and said there are dangers in all contact sports, and it's about listening to medical teams.

At a media conference, Randall looked back on her time in the game, highlighting the 2019 premiership and her collaboration with Erin Phillips.

Ebony Marinoff and Taylor Walker attended the media conference.

Randall started playing football at 11, lining up for Safety Bay Stingers in Western Australia.

She remembered the head coach asking her to fill in for the boys' team, and she convinced her mom to let her play.

She got laughed at for being a girl playing football, but she had the courage to continue.

She had an inner desire for everyone in football to feel included.

She took satisfaction in playing a part in achieving that goal.

Randall is proud of how far women's football has come and is happy her son gets to watch male and female role models on TV.

She loves football and everything about it.

It's not goodbye to football forever because she'll still be involved in some way, either supporting from afar or being hands-on.

Monday, June 29, 2026, at 12:14 pm

Monday, June 29, 2026, at 3:51 pm

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