Inside Out

A Story of Sport, Family and Self

Erin Phillips

$36.99

Paperback

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English

Hardie Grant Books
01 April 2025

Autobiography: sport; Memoirs; Sports & outdoor recreation; Basketball; Australian Rules football

Inside and Out is the inspiring story of one of Australia's all-time sporting champions: AFLW icon and basketball legend Erin Phillips.

In this honest and revealing memoir, Erin candidly looks back at her astonishing playing journey and life so far. As the daughter of Aussie Rules legend and Hall of Famer Greg Phillips, Erin's first sporting love was Australian Rules football, but at 13 years old she was forced to give up the sport she loved because there was no further pathway for girls to play the game. Devasted but not deterred, she switched codes, taking up basketball to fill the void that footy left behind. Over the next 18 years, Erin reached the highest level of international basketball, including careers with the Australian Opals, in the WNBA and in Europe. Her achievements included a gold medal at the World Championships, two Olympic Games, two WNBA Championships and serving as an assistant coach for the WNBA's Dallas Wings.

Then, in 2017, Erin's lifelong dream of playing professional football finally came true when she was invited to join the inaugural AFLW competition. She was named co-captain of the Adelaide Crows and went on to win three premierships in six seasons before moving to her dad's former club, Port Adelaide, when Port entered the league in 2022, as their inaugural captain. The newly formed women's league changed the Australian sport industry forever, and Erin Phillips was the face of that change, leading by example and gaining the support of the nation throughout her impressive career. Erin left the game with a remarkable list of achievements, including multiple All-Australian as well as league and club best and fairest awards, retiring in 2023 as the most decorated player to date.

Beyond the field and court, Erin reveals the challenges she has faced from all sides, from dealing with body image issues to discovering her sexuality, and starting a family with the love of her life.

Inside and Out is a story about love and resilience, about being okay in your skin and, most importantly, about playing by your own rules.

By: Erin Phillips
Imprint: Hardie Grant Books
Country of Publication: Australia
Edition: Hardback
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
ISBN: 9781743797341
ISBN 10: 1743797346
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01 April 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Erin Phillips is a marquee player and co-captain of the Adelaide Crows AFLW team. In the inaugural AFLW season and again in 2019, Erin remarkably led the Crows to premiership glory, won best on ground at the grand final, captained the All Australian squad, and won both the Players’ Association MVP and the league best and fairest (she missed a lot of the 2018 season due to injury). Her 2019 grand final best on ground win was particularly impressive as she was on the ground for less than three quarters of the game due to an ACL injury. Her stats show that she is not only undoubtedly the best AFLW of all times, but she also might be one of the best AFL players of all times. As the daughter of SANFL and VFL legend Greg Phillips, Australian rules football was Erin’s first sporting love, but it wasn’t her first sporting career. After being told she had to give up footy, Erin instead played basketball. She attended the AIS and played in the WNBL and WNBA, winning a number of awards and winning two WNBA championships with Indiana Fever. She represented Australia and won medals in two world championships (gold and bronze), a Commonwealth Games (gold) and the 2008 Olympics (silver). She officially retired from playing basketball in 2018 and became assistant coach for the Dallas Wings. Erin and her wife, American basketballer Tracy Gahan, have three children. They split their time between Adelaide and Dallas, Texas, to allow Erin to pursue her two sporting careers.