'I wasn’t prepared for the disgusting underbelly of social media': Women’s AFL star reveals the horrific abuse she cops from internet trolls every day
- Richmond player Sabrina Frederick has revealed the sexist abuse she cops
- Frederick has been told female athletes are 'too fat and too slow
- Carlton player Tayla Harris was previously abused online
- 23 per cent of negative comments towards Australian sportswomen are sexist
An AFL Women's star has revealed the toxic abuse she cops on a daily basis from sexist online trolls - just for doing her job.
Richmond AFLW player Sabrina Frederick, 22, receives 'belittling, misogynist and downright disgusting' comments everyday, she wrote in NT News.
Ms Frederick's brave column comes after Carlton player Tayla Harris hit back at trolls when they ridiculed a photo of her kicking a goal earlier this year.
Frederick admits that when she was first drafted to the Brisbane Lions at 19-years-old she was 'fresh-faced and optimistic'.
But her dreams of using her new platform for good were dashed after she was targeted by trolls.
Sabrina Frederick, 22, (pictured playing for her former club the Brisbane Lions last season) receives 'belittling, misogynist and downright disgusting' comments everyday.
'I wasn’t prepared for was the disgusting underbelly of the social media world,' she wrote.
'When a troll would come to my account and comment that women were "useless athletes" on one of my images, or that we were "too fat and slow", or that we should "get back in the kitchen" — it hurt.
'To be ripped to shreds by complete strangers certainly felt disempowering.'
Frederick admits that she wasn't ready for the 'disgusting underbelly of the social media world' when she started her career (pictured Frederick with her girlfriend Lili Cadee-Matthews (right)
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Frederick's candid column comes after Carlton player Tayla Harris received vile online abuse for a photo of her kicking a long-range goal.
The Richmond star said Harris' photo 'has become a symbol of change' in AFL and broader society.
'The internet has permitted online trolls to multiply hateful, sexist and uninformed information,' she wrote.
'It can also be a powerful tool for good.'
This picture of AFL womens star Tayla Harris kicking a long range goal attracted vile comments from online trolls
Frederick was born in the UK with Antiguan and Jamaican descent and is in a long-term relationship girlfriend Lili Cadee-Matthews.
'I want to encourage young people to be true to themselves and not be deterred from chasing their dreams,' she wrote.
Australian sportswomen face overwhelming sexism as 23 per cent of negative comments towards them are sexist, according to Plan International.
Another 20 per cent of negative comments belittled women’s sports, their athletic abilities and skills.
'I want to encourage young people to be true to themselves and not be deterred from chasing their dreams,' Frederick wrote
