Ava Usher
Ava Usher is an Australian rules footballer with the Gold Coast Suns in the AFL Women's.
Early life
Usher was born in Cairns, Queensland and grew up on the Gold Coast from the age of two after her family relocated. She attended Hillcrest Christian College throughout her upbringing and became a state representative in basketball, swimming and surf lifesaving throughout her adolescence. In 2019, one of her school friends and future Suns teammate Sunny Lappin convinced Usher to begin playing Australian rules football and the pair would lead Hillcrest Christian College to an AFL Queensland Junior State Championship that year. She subsequently signed up to play club football for Burleigh in the years that followed and joined the Gold Coast Suns Academy at 11 years of age.In 2023, at 15 years of age, Usher was awarded the best and fairest award at the under 16 national championships for her outstanding performances for Queensland as a bottom ager and was voted second best on ground in Bond University's 2023 QAFLW Senior Grand Final victory behind best friend and future Suns teammate Havana Harris. She impressed so much in 2023 that many scouts believed she was capable of playing in the AFLW at 16 years of age before tearing her ACL on the eve of her 2024 bottom age season. Along with football, Usher continued to play basketball for her school and was Hillcrest Christian College's top scorer in their 2023 under-17 Australian National Schools Basketball Championship win.