Gemma Houghton

Gemma Houghton
Houghton playing for Port Adelaide in 2022
Personal information
Full name Gemma Maree Houghton[1]
Born (1993-12-31) 31 December 1993
Busselton, Western Australia[2]
Draft 2016 free agent: Fremantle
Debut Round 1, 2017, Fremantle vs. Western Bulldogs, at VU Whitten Oval
Height 179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Position Forward
Club information
Current club Port Adelaide
Number 27
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2017–2022 (S6) Fremantle 46 (40)
2022 (S7)– Port Adelaide 40 (60)
Total 86 (100)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2025 season.
Career highlights
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Gemma Maree Houghton (born 31 December 1993) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. Houghton was recruited by Fremantle as a free agent in October 2016.[3] She had never played Aussie Rules before, having been found through a talent search open to all athletes. She previously played high level basketball.[4]

AFL Women's career

Houghton made her debut for Fremantle in a thirty-two point loss to the Western Bulldogs at VU Whitten Oval in the opening round of the 2017 season.[5] She played all seven matches in her debut season.[6]

Playing for the Swan Districts Football Club in the 2018 WAFL Women's competition, Houghton won the Mandy McSherry Medal, the teams best and fairest award.[7]

After only playing two games in 2018, Houghton played in all eight of Fremantle's games in 2019, kicking 9 goals to be the club's leading goalkicker. Her athleticism and strong marking was recognised with selection in the 2019[8] and 2020 AFL Women's All-Australian teams.[9] The 2020 AFL Women's season saw Houghton obtain her second AFL Women's All-Australian team selection, named in the half forward position.[10][11]

On 10 May 2022, Houghton signed with expansion club Port Adelaide for 2022 AFL Women's season 7[12] and scored their inaugural goal in Round 1. She has been the leading goalkicker in each of Port's first three seasons. In the final round of the 2025 AFL Women's season, Houghton became the first woman to kick 100 career goals in the AFLW when she scored her fourth goal for the game after the final siren.[13]

Personal life

Her brother Joel Houghton was drafted by Fremantle in the 2009 AFL draft, but did not play an AFL game. He played for Perth, Swan Districts and East Perth in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).

Houghton joined the AFLW Competition Committee in 2025[14] and is also on the AFL Players Association's Indigenous Advisory Board.[15] She is of Indigenous Australian descent (Yindjibarndi).[16]

She is an advocate for athletes seeking help with mental health issues, after losing a close friend to suicide in 2021.[17]

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2021 season.[6]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2017 Fremantle 27 7 3 5 36 26 62 11 28 0.4 0.7 5.1 3.7 8.9 1.6 4.0 0
2018 Fremantle 27 2 0 0 4 0 4 3 4 0.0 0.0 2.0 0.0 2.0 1.5 2.0 0
2019 Fremantle 27 8 9 8 51 22 73 25 35 1.1 1.0 6.4 2.8 9.1 3.1 4.4 3
2020 Fremantle 27 7 4 10 54 24 78 26 20 0.6 1.4 7.7 3.4 11.1 3.7 2.9 2
2021 Fremantle 27 10 15 8 73 35 108 27 26 1.5 0.8 7.3 3.5 10.8 2.7 2.6 8
Career 34 31 31 218 107 325 92 113 0.9 0.9 6.4 3.1 9.6 2.7 3.3 13

References

  1. ^ "AFLW Pocket Profile: Gemma Houghton". AFL Women's. Melbourne. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  2. ^ Port Adelaide Player Profile - Gemma Houghton
  3. ^ "AFLW: Freo finalise list". Fremantle FC. Bigpond. 31 October 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  4. ^ "How Gemma Houghton found her way to Freo". Fremantle FC. Fox Footy. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  5. ^ "AFLW Teams Round 1: Full sides named for inaugural round of AFL Women's competition". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Gemma Houghton". AustralianFootball.com. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Swans appoints Aboriginal and Multicultural Development Officer". Swan Districts Football Club. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  8. ^ Cherny, Daniel (2 April 2019). "Phillips named AFLW's best but future up in the air". The Age. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  9. ^ Laughton, Max (27 April 2020). "AFL Women's 2020: AFLW All-Australian team 2020, nominees, 40-woman squad, club-by-club representatives". Fox Sports. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  10. ^ McGowan, Marc (27 April 2020). "AFLW All-Australian team revealed, new wave dominates". womens.afl. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  11. ^ "AFLW All-Australian team for 2020 revealed: 12 clubs represented as two stars make history". Fox Sports. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  12. ^ Anderson, Jamie (10 May 2022). "Star forward Houghton commits to Port Adelaide". Port Adelaide. Telstra Media.
  13. ^ "Houghton achieves AFLW milestone in Power's thrashing of Giants". ABC News. 1 November 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  14. ^ "AFLW competition committee welcomes new members". afl.com.au/aflw. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  15. ^ "Player Reps". AFL Players' Association Limited. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  16. ^ AFLW Pocket Profile: Gemma Houghton
  17. ^ "'Everyone struggles': AFLW star speaks out about mental health after losing best friend to suicide". ABC News. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
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