Mikayla Bowen


Mikayla Bowen is an Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Eagles in the AFL Women's. Bowen and Rosie Deegan were West Coast's first two signings prior to its debut in the 2020 AFLW season. Bowen played in the club's first match, against Collingwood.

Junior career

From Darlington, Perth, Western Australia, Bowen tried athletics, basketball and soccer in her youth before settling on football around 2016, playing recreationally at her school, Helena's College. She also played for Swan Districts, a WAFL Women's club, in their junior side, winning a best and fairest in 2016 and captaining the team to a premiership in 2017. Bowen also represented her state at the AFL Women's Under 18 Championships from 2017 to 2019. At her final championships, she captained Western Australia. She was named in the All-Australian side's midfield and her state's best and fairest after averaging about 19 disposals, four tackles and seven clearances.

AFLW career

After training in West Coast's women's academy, Bowen signed with the club in January 2019. As an expansion club entering the AFLW in 2020, West Coast were permitted to sign up to 10 players from their academy before the end of the 2019 season; Bowen and Deegan were the first announced.
She debuted in the opening round of the 2020 season, as part of West Coast's inaugural team.

Personal life

Bowen's family has strong connections to ballet and football. Her grandmother Terri Charlesworth was West Australian Ballet's first ballerina, while her mother took the same role at Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. Bowen's uncle played for Swan Districts in the late 1980s, while her great-great-grandfather played for South Melbourne.
She has been a "diehard" supporter of West Coast since her childhood.