She’s an elite athlete who has represented Australia at the world championships playing a sport you never knew existed.
Michelle Phillips, from Melbourne, plays ultimate frisbee – a fast-paced sport combining elements of netball and touch football.
The non-contact game involves teams of seven players on each side – where men and women play together with a plastic flying disc.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 30-year-old revealed why she dedicated more than 10 years of her life playing the sport despite not getting paid for it.
Michelle Phillips (pictured), from Melbourne, plays ultimate frisbee – a fast-paced sport combining elements of netball and touch football
The non-contact game involves teams of seven players on each side – where men and women play together with a plastic flying disc
Ultimate players are required to foot the bill to travel interstate for training camps – and overseas for tournaments, including the World Games.
And while Phillips has been playing at a highest level, she said there was no career for her in the sport because it’s all self-funded.
‘We self-fund so financially it can’t be a career but it’s still incredible,’ she said.
‘A lot is self-funded you know that you’ve put everything in to make it happen when you represent your country.
‘But still, most would prefer to have the financial burden removed. It does make work-life balance difficult. All of us are working jobs so it makes it hard.
‘If you look around, there are obviously some women who have broke through the barriers in sports such as cricket and AFL, but I think of all of those who didn’t.’
Phillips – who was the captain of the Australian team last year – said the coverage of the frisbee is next to nothing – compared to conventional sports.
The 30-year-old said despite playing at the highest level, there was no career for her in the sport because it’s all self-funded
Phillips said she enjoyed playing mixed-gendered matches because everyone gets treated on the same level
‘To me, I find it really silly that we have this measure of what’s a real sport or not depending on how much we see in the media,’ she said.
‘We as society want people to be fit and active so it seems really counter-intuitive to push away some sports saying they don’t mean anything.’
But despite the lack of publicity, Phillips said she enjoyed playing mixed-gendered matches because everyone gets treated on the same level.
‘You’re on the field in a mixed team representing your country at the world championships,’ she said.
‘That’s a very powerful message about equity because there are very few sports where women are respected as much as male athletes.
‘Including women more is definitely ingrained in the culture of the sport. As a global community it pushes to maintain a gender balance in the sport.’
Phillips – who was the captain of the Australian team last year – said the coverage of the frisbee is next to nothing – compared to conventional sports
Phillips started playing ultimate frisbee in 2006 when a friend asked her to join the team at her university because they were short on players
Phillips started playing ultimate frisbee in 2006 when a friend asked her to join the team at her university because they were short on players.
‘I didn’t know what it was but I like playing any sport so I said okay and went along,’ she said.
‘I kept playing because I really enjoyed the community culture and the self-referring aspect.
‘Only when I started ultimate I realised females could be genuinely valued as much as male athletes.
‘That was first point I knew I could represent my country and have it mean something.’