Ashleigh Riddell

Ashleigh Riddell (born 7 March 1996) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the North Melbourne Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Riddell won the AFL Women's best and fairest and AFLCA AFLW champion player of the year awards in 2025. She is a dual AFL Women's premiership player, five-time AFL Women's All-Australian and dual North Melbourne Club Champion.

Early life Riddell played junior football in Melbourne's north-east for the Eltham Panthers, crossing to basketball as a teenager due to "a greater long-term pathway". Following the AFL's decision to launch a new women's competition, she returned to football in 2016, playing for Fitzroy in the third division of the now-defunct Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL). Riddell then joined in 2017 and was selected in the VFL Women's (VFLW) Team of the Year. She was invited to the first AFLW Draft Combine, but her rapid rise in the sport stalled when she was passed over at the 2017 AFL Women's draft.

AFL Women's career

Riddell was signed by North Melbourne as a free agent during the expansion club signing period of the 2018 AFL Women's draft. She made her debut in the club's inaugural match, a 36-point victory over at North Hobart Oval in the opening round of the 2019 season. Her season was cut short due to an ankle injury sustained the following week in North Melbourne's win over when opponent Nicola Barr made an illegal shepherd behind play; Barr received a one-match suspension as a result.

Riddell was named in the 2020 AFL Women's All-Australian team after a standout season in which she led the competition for kicks. Leading into the 2021 season, womens.afl journalist Sarah Black named Riddell at no. 17 on her list of the top 30 players in the AFLW. She had another strong season in 2021, finishing third in her club's best and fairest count for the second consecutive year. At the end of the season, she re-signed with North Melbourne for two more seasons.

Riddell was named at no. 14 in Sarah Black's 2022 season 6 list of the top 30 players in the AFLW. She was best afield in North Melbourne's round 1 win over , equalling the AFLW record for most disposals in a match with 35; she also won the maximum ten coaches' votes and was named in womens.afls Team of the Week for round 1. Riddell was North Melbourne's best player in its loss to in round 2 and was best afield in North Melbourne's win over Greater Western Sydney in round 3; she again polled the maximum ten coaches' votes to top the leaderboard after round 3 and was selected in womens.afls Team of the Week for that round. She was best afield in North Melbourne's win over in round 4, polling seven coaches' votes and again achieving selection in womens.afls Team of the Week, and was among North Melbourne's best players in its win over in round 5. At the halfway point of the season, Riddell led the competition for disposals with 139, at an average of 27.9 a game. She was among North Melbourne's best players in its win over in round 6, polling six coaches' votes, and was selected in womens.afls Team of the Week for that round. Riddell was again among North Melbourne's best players in its round 7 win over , polling six coaches' votes and was selected in womens.afls Team of the Week for round 7. She was North Melbourne's best player in its losses to in round 8 and in round 9; she polled nine coaches' votes in the round 8 match, the equal-most for the match, and was selected in womens.afls Team of the Week for that round. Riddell was best afield in North Melbourne's win over in round 10, breaking the record for most disposals in an AFLW match with 42; she polled the maximum ten coaches' votes to finish equal-second behind Emily Bates in that year's AFLW champion player of the year award, and was selected in womens.afls Team of the Week for round 10. She was named in Champion Data's 2022 season 6 AFLW All-Star stats team after leading the competition for disposals with 29.9 a game, recording at least 30 disposals in six games. Riddell was North Melbourne's best player in its qualifying final loss to Fremantle. Despite reports of a "big offer" to join expansion club Sydney, Riddell re-signed with North Melbourne in June 2022 for a further two seasons.

In 2024, Riddell was named among North Melbourne's best players in its win over Brisbane in week 1 and draw against Geelong in week 2. She was named North Melbourne's best player in wins over Melbourne in week 3 and Port Adelaide in week 4.

Statistics Updated to the end of the 2025 season.

85 !! 19 !! 30 !! 1387 !! 947 !! 2334 !! 272 !! 405 !! 0.2 !! 0.4 !! 16.3 !! 11.1 !! 27.5 !! 3.2 !! 4.8 !! 73

Honours and achievements Team 2× AFL Women's premiership player : 2024, 2025 2× AFL Women's minor premiership : 2024, 2025

Individual AFL Women's best and fairest: 2025 AFLCA AFLW champion player of the year: 2025 5× AFL Women's All-Australian team: 2020, S6, 2023, 2024, 2025 2× North Melbourne Club Champion: S6, 2025