Kara Antonio has continued to pave the way at the Fremantle Dockers, named as the first woman to earn Life Membership at the Club during the 2023 Doig Medal Presentation Dinner at Crown Perth on Tuesday.

Antonio was recognised for her contribution to the Club as the inaugural captain, a role she held between 2017 and 2021, as well as her outstanding efforts and achievements throughout her 47 games and six years at Fremantle.

She was soon joined by current captain Hayley Miller, who is the first player to reach the required 60 AFLW games to earn Life Membership.

Miller has played 62 games to date between 2017 and 2023 and is the Club’s AFLW games record holder.

As well as being honoured on the night, the pair were present at the first Life Members’ Lunch on the Monday.

Antonio made an impact in the game long before she became a Fremantle Docker, helping build the profile of women’s football that allowed it to be thrust onto the national stage.

In the historic first AFLW season in 2017, she was named as a part of the inaugural AFLW All Australian team and was Freo’s leading goalkicker – from the midfield – that year.

She led the Club to three preliminary finals – including the unbeaten and cancelled 2020 season that will remain the biggest ‘what if’ in Fremantle history.

After retiring on 47 games from seven seasons in 2022, Antonio has continued her work on growing the game as an assistant coach at Subiaco Football Club and as a teacher at SEDA, where in August she coached her school to a win in the Fremantle Dockers Cup.

Antonio said she was especially proud to have stuck with footy despite the pressure from society to play other sports.

"Thank you so much, it's a massive privilege and honour," Antonio said.

"Life Membership is incredible to achieve and this Football Club has been my family since I moved over from Victoria. I love it and I'm very passionate about this Club.

"To have a lunch with some of the Freo greats on and off the field yesterday was a great honour.

"I kept playing the game even though I was told I shouldn't. It was because I loved it, I love what footy brings and I'm so glad, reflecting back now, that I went with my gut.

"I'm proud I didn't give up, and now here I am standing in front of all of you."

As well as being one of four inaugural Freo Dockers remaining on Fremantle's list, Miller has been one of the rocks in Fremantle's midfield as she established herself as one of the guns of the competition.

In her first season as captain in 2022, she put the team on her back and won Fremantle's fairest and best, was vice captain of the All Australian team and won the Club’s goalkicking.

Miller said she was thrilled to join Antonio as a Life Member.

"It hasn't quite sunk in yet. It's been a long journey to get to 60 games in the AFLW space, and if you told me as a young person I'd be a Life Member of the Fremantle Football Club, I wouldn't have believed it," Miller said

"That's the power of this Club, it can change a life, and that's what this Club has done for me.

"I'm so stoked to share this with 'Juddy' and walk into Life Membership together, we've been through a lot together and she set it all up for someone like me to continue on with her hard work."