Backyard games inspire new sporting career

EARLIER this year Mount Gambier footballer Jenna Baron was named in the Top 40 players to watch in the SANFLW by respected sports journalist Andrew Capel and it is not hard to see why.

The hard working midfielder, who has just competed in the 2026 Under 16 Girls AFL National Championships in Blacktown as part of the South Australian State team that was gunning for a fourth consecutive title, has certainly attracted the attention of those running the elite pathways, including her Glenelg SANFLW Under 18 coach Monique Hepden.

“Jenna is a strong runner who has clean hands and manages to find the ball in congestion. She is a very skilful country talent who displays leadership traits,” Hepden said.

And that skill has been developed from a very young age with the sport capturing her attention more than a decade ago.

“My dad (Jason) has been a big part of my career since I started in the back yard at the age of four or five years old,” Jenna said.

“I started at Reidy School playing Auskick then joined North at the age of seven and I have two brothers so I would kick in the back yard and go to their games. Dad encouraged me to have a go.”

Jenna’s father’s influence progressed far beyond the backyard – her has been her coach since Under 12s and is the current coach of her local club, North Gambier, in the Under 16 program.

“Fiona Young, Sam McCracken Michael Mustart (Muzzy) and Simon Zadow (Zads) have also helped me over the past few years,” Jenna said.

A talented athlete across a number of sports, Jenna is very clear about why football attracts the lion’s share of her attention and effort.

“I find it fun and like it better than other sports because I don’t feel the pressure,” she said. “There is more space that I can work with. I am able to be more physical without losing possession. In netball and basketball if you make contact or foul a player the ball gets turned over. In football you have more ways of turning over the ball for your team, like tackling.”

Still a teenager but her resume is already jam packed, starting with representing the Lower South East in the SAPSASA competition in 2022, only the second year girls football was offered as part of the primary school sports program.

She represented North Gambier in the Under 12 mixed competition from 2019 to 2021, joining the female program in 2022 in the Under 16 age group and in 2024 she was named best & fairest.

She has also represented Glenelg in 2024 and ’25 in the Under 15 competition and was also part of the Crows Academy in those years, including featuring in a AFLW curtain raiser.

Representing South Australia also looks set to be a regular part of her football commitments, having donned the tri-colours last year as part of the Under 15 State team and her Under 16 commitments right now.

Her on field skills are also not limited to kicks, handballs and tackles and as her Glenelg coach already identified, she is a genuine leader and was elevated to the Under 18 leadership group at the Tigers this year.

“I am honoured that the coaches can see that I am able to lead,” Jenna said. “I use my voice to instruct and encourage. I lead by example by having a positive and happy mindset as well as using my skill and knowledge of the game to help others.”

While midfield is her preferred role, she has been playing forward for Glenelg and over the course of the national championships, which wound up on April 16, Jenna usually plays on the wing or across half back.

Her focus now returns to her Glenelg Under 18 commitments, she is also looking to gain selection in a Glenelg Under 17 team set for a carnival later in the year and maybe most importantly, finally claim a title with her beloved North Gambier Tigers in her last season as an Under 16 player for the club.

“Basically I want to succeed with my teams and to develop my skills even further,” Jenna said. “I hope to develop my knowledge of the game and to become a confident leader.”

Of course all this football success and opportunities at the elite level don’t come without a lot of hard work and commitment, not just from Jenna but from her parents as well.

It is quite the juggling act combining school and football.

She heads to Adelaide each week for mid week training – a day trip that sees her return home around 1am after the 5pm session and then heading back to Adelaide for weekend matches and other training sessions and none of that travel looks like slowing down as Jenna continues to make her mark.