Young Adelaide United goalkeeper Grace Wilson has become a trailblazer of the W-League, coming out as the first non-binary professional footballer in Australia.
At just 18 years old, the young Matilda made the decision to let the world into their true self, telling teammates on Friday.
Widespread support has been met with Wilson's announcement, which the youngster says feels "phenomenal".
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"I'm non-binary. That's it. I can't deny it anymore," Wilson said on Friday.
"It was like this huge weight had lifted, because for so long, I had felt something was different.
"Finally hearing people refer to me as 'they/them', it's a phenomenal euphoric feeling."
Wilson has come into their own on the field, selected in the young Matildas squad that will face Uzbekistan in the AFC under-20 women's Asian cup in March.
Away from their national career taking off, Wilson is a much-loved and vital member of the Adelaide United side.
Adelaide United W coach Adrian Stenta has heaped praise on the 18-year-old, saying the club supported the journey to announcing their pronouns to teammates.
https://twitter.com/AdelaideUnited/status/1763361894474350813
"We just asked Grace what they wanted to do. We were fully supportive of the way they went about that and shared what is a really significant moment in their life and their career," Stenta said.
Wilson's announcement comes a week out from the league's pride cup round. Adelaide will run out in a special guernsey for the occasion, to highlight diversity.
The goalkeeper joins fellow A-League men's player Josh Cavallo, who came out in 2021.
"Finally, I've had enough. I just want to be free," Wilson said.
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