Founded in 1982 by a group of radical, feminist, queer women in South Australia, the Adelaide Armpits were trailblazers for LGBTQIA+ football clubs in Australia.
"If you rocked up, you got a game," Maginnis said of the early years.
Their team name was an allusion to the radical, separatist second-wave feminist movement flourishing across Australia in the late 1970s and early 1980s.There were no coaches, no captains and no hierarchies.More than just a team, the Adelaide Armpits became a second family for queer women who joined. "That was the hope. When we met that day at the pub, that's what we talked about. We wanted this to be a place that women who identified as lesbians, or who didn't mind being assumed to be lesbians, could come and play.
Jill Latimer was part of Australia's women's national team in the late 80s, but says joining the Armpits revived her love of the game. "So, I think I was a bit afraid of that at first, as I was discovering more about my sexuality at that time. "That's what was so magical about the Armpits, especially for younger lesbians [who] were first coming out.
"I became a better person there. One of the things Truffy incorporated there was mutual respect, where we all had a voice and everybody was listened to.The darker side of success