Quick Facts
Biography
Lauren Arnell (born 15 March 1987) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Carlton Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. She is the club's inaugural AFLW team captain.
Early life and state league football
Arnell played just one football match as a junior, in a school tournament in her last year of primary school. A talented state-level junior basketballer, Arnell next played football in 2005 while studying to be a teacher in Ballarat.
Arnell first played football competitively for North Ballarat before moving to the Darebin Falcons in the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL) where she would win nine league premierships through the end of 2016.
In 2010, Arnell was selected as one of forty players to participate in the women's AFL high-performance camp. As part of the program she played in a curtain-raiser exhibition match ahead of the round 12, 2010 AFL match between Melbourne and Collingwood.
She has represented Victoria at the AFL Women's National Championships on six occasions and been selected three times as an All-Australian.
Arnell was drafted by the Western Bulldogs with the twelfth overall pick in the 2013 exhibition series draft. She played for the club in exhibition series matches through the end of 2016.
AFL Women's career
Arnell was signed as a priority player by Carlton in August 2016 ahead of the league's inaugural 2017 season. She had previously worked at the club in an off-field role, including in the development of Carlton's bid for a women's team license. She was named the club's inaugural AFL Women's captain in January 2017. She made her debut in round 1, 2017, in the club and the league's inaugural match at Princes Park against Collingwood.
Carlton signed Arnell for the 2018 season during the trade period in May 2017.
Statistics
- Statistics are correct to the end of the 2017 season
| Legend | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Goals | B | Behinds | K | Kicks | H | Handballs | D | Disposals | M | Marks | T | Tackles |
| Season | Team | # | Games | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Carlton | 13 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 60 | 24 | 84 | 11 | 26 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 8.6 | 3.4 | 11.0 | 1.6 | 3.7 |
| Career | 7 | 2 | 2 | 60 | 24 | 84 | 11 | 26 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 8.6 | 3.4 | 11.0 | 1.6 | 3.7 | ||
Personal life
Arnell grew up on a cattle farm in the Victorian town of Clarkefield, 46 kilometres northwest of Melbourne. She spent her later teenage years in Lakes Entrance in the state's east. She is one of three triplets.
Arnell studied physical education teaching at the University of Ballarat and has previously worked as a school teacher.
She is the niece of former Footscray player, Ray Walker.
Off-field Arnell works as AFL Victoria's education and training manager.