Erin Phillips, the superstar of the AFLW and the heart and soul of Adelaide’s dynasty, is as tough as nails. Just days before those 2022 preliminary finals, she found the courage to share her experience of a life-changing family tragedy. Phillips, the mother of three—Blake, Brooklyn and Drew—welcomed her fourth, Londyn Skye Phillips, into the world in 2023. Her path toward growing her family was paved with heartbreak and struggles. In the wake of it all, from an on-field and off-field perspective, she proved such remarkable resilience.
Despite her success in sports, Phillips faced significant personal struggles while trying for a fourth child with her partner, Tracy. The couple endured several failed pregnancies before welcoming their first two children, Blake and Brooklyn. It took them two years to have those kids, a time that was full of hope and worry.
On one of their IVF tries, they were luckiest to have five embryos. The young couple assumed they’d be done at two kids. They found themselves at a crossroads when reality set in with the challenges of growing their family. Their trip quickly turned to tragedy. Phillips delivered that third baby through a very complicated pregnancy, but then when they tried for their fourth, Phillips had a miscarriage.
Breathing Room, underscored by Phillips’ own emotional and physical upheaval in this extraordinary time. “We didn’t talk about it with anybody. We decided not to let anyone in on what we were going through. We didn’t want to freak anybody out,” she said. This new resolution to shield their travail from public scrutiny gave them the freedom to grieve without complication.
The family tragedy that Phillips experienced in 2022 only deepened the emotional toll. Just days before a pivotal playoff match, she experienced a gut-wrenching reality. Simultaneously, she managed her duties as a parent and an athlete. Phillips explained that when her family was all of a sudden faced with losing everything, football hardly seemed like a big deal. Nevertheless, she was comforted by the game.
Football seemed trivial next to all that we were up against. It addresses the high cost of housing,” Phillips pointed out. Even so, we were able to rejoice and delight in that space. Despite her personal challenges, she remained dedicated to her team, contributing to Adelaide’s victories in the grand finals of 2017, 2019, and 2022.
As Phillips puts it, caring for her children is a passion she welcomes into her life, and she sees motherhood as her fulltime job. Her commitment to her family and career is another testament to her fortitude as an athlete and a mother. When Londyn Skye entered the world in 2023, their household was unexpectedly washed over by an entirely different joy. She is the personification of hope following a dark period.
Champion Erin Phillips’ journey from an ACL injury to the WNBA is an inspiration for anyone who’s ever faced a setback. She remains an inspiration to so many as she balances the challenges of motherhood with her burgeoning career and public service. It is her courage and willingness to discuss her deeply personal experiences that sheds light on an often invisible struggle for so many trying to create a family.
