Past Players in Business | Moana Hope

The former Roos and Pies forward has spent years juggling her business, family and local footy commitments. Now she's keen on getting involved again at the top level

MOANA Hope is making up for lost time.

The women's football trailblazer was one of the early faces of the AFLW, as a marquee forward with Collingwood and North Melbourne.

Hope last played in the League in 2019 but remains in the spotlight as a popular media talent, public speaker and brand ambassador.

She has appeared on Australian Survivor, hosted radio show Entrepreneur Her, and regularly steps on stage or in front of a camera to talk about business, women in sport, the LGBTQI+ community, and parenthood.

"I'm super introverted; I prefer to sit at home and chill out rather than socialise. But if I'm on a stage in front of a thousand people, I'm like, 'give me the mic, let's go!" Hope told AFL Connect.

"I love doing media work and appearances. I go in as me and just treat it as a conversation. I don't have to do anything different, because I'm quite an open book anyway."

Despite her profile, Hope is most comfortable out of the public eye.

She spends most of her time running a traffic control company that she started 10 years ago and now employs more than 200 people in Victoria and almost 30 in Queensland.

Hope is determined for the business to be known for "quality and safety" though she finds football, including her own playing past, remains an ideal way to connect with clients and staff.

A packed work schedule split across multiple industries comes after Hope dropped out of high school to care for her father when he was diagnosed with cancer.

Growing up in public housing and as one of 14 siblings, Hope maintains a strong focus on family.

She is a co-parent of two children and the primary carer of her sister, Vinny, who lives with a rare neurological condition called Moebius syndrome.

"I've been a full-time carer for just over 10 years. In that time, it took me four-and-a-half years to teach Vinny how to dress herself," Hope said.

"That's explaining her disability, but in saying that, she's the most normal person I know. She's put into a category of 'disabled', yet the way she sees the world is admirable.

"She's got a roof over her head, she's got food on the table and she's got love, and she looks at life and goes, 'I'm happy'. She's pretty incredible and she's my little best friend."

As a business owner and media performer with a daughter, a son and a 32-year-old sister in her care, Hope is conscious of also finding time for herself.

It took until about five years ago - not long before the birth of her first child - for Hope to recognise that she needed to put herself first at times to stay on top of her game.

"I finally got to that place after a very long time. Carers need time out and they need a break," Hope said.

"Just like taking care of kids, if you're not OK, you're not going to be OK to take care of your people. Asking for help and getting assistance - I've learned there is no shame in that."

Hope was a football powerhouse in the years before the AFLW launched in 2017.

She was the first player to boot 100 goals in the VWFL in 2016, then underlined her status in the game with six majors in the All-Stars showcase later that year.

"That performance, that snapshot in time, is me playing football because I loved it," Hope said.

A 20-match stint in the AFLW ended with Hope failing to hit those same heights again. Personal and external pressure to perform led to burnout and eventually her delisting at the Kangaroos in 2019.

Six years on and now 37, Hope has rediscovered her love for the game in local football.

She is eager to support the next generation at the grassroots but also feels a sense of unfinished business with the elite level.

"I just love the thought of being involved in footy in any way. That's huge for me, because for so many years, I wanted nothing to do with it, because of my mental state," Hope said.

"I'm happy with the way that everything turned out. I stepped away, started a family, it was the best decision I ever made.

"But I'm hungry to get back into AFLW. It's time, I miss it and I feel like I've got so much to give."

Hope is confident the experience of running her own business and leading large teams gives her the grounding to join a coaching pathway.

But jumping into football media - particularly radio - is especially appealing.

"I'm no commentator but I would make a really good roaming Mo," she said with a laugh.