{{Short description|Australian rules footballer and coach}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}} {{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}} {{Infobox AFL biography | name = Debbie Lee | fullname = Deborah Lee | image = Debbie Lee 18.02.17.jpg | image_size = | caption = Lee in February 2017 | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1974}} | birth_place = | originalteam = | death_date = | death_place = | debutdate = | debutteam = | debutopponent = | debutstadium = | club1 = East Brunswick Scorpions | years1 = 1991–1992 | games_goals1 = | club2 = Sunshine YCW/St Albans Spurs | years2 = 1993–2014 | games_goals2 = | games_goalstotal = 302 | statsend = | careerhighlights = '''Playing''' * 3x VWFL premiership player: 1991, 2004, 2011 * VWFL premiership captain: 2004 * 5x Helen Lambert Medal: 1993, 1994 (tied), 1995, 1996, 2001 * Lisa Hardeman Medal: 2004 * 6x All-Australian team * 6x Sunshine YCW/St Albans Spurs best and fairest: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2010 * Sunshine YCW/St Albans Spurs captain: 1993–2004 * 6x Victoria captain * 2x E. J. Whitten Medal <br> '''Coaching''' * VWFL premiership coach: 2011 <br> '''Administration''' * VWFL president: 2004–2012 * Football Woman of the Year Award: 2009 * Sunshine YCW Spurs founder: 1993 <br> '''Hall of Fame''' * Australian Football Hall of Fame: inducted 2021 * Australian Football League life membership: awarded 2020 * VWFL life membership: awarded 2002 | coachyears1 = 1997 | coachclub1 = Sunshine YCW Spurs | coachgames_wins1 = | coachyears2 = 2009–2012 | coachclub2 = St Albans Spurs | coachgames_wins2 = | coachyears3 = 2015–2017 | coachclub3 = Western Spurs | coachgames_wins3 = | coachyears4 = <br>2017 | coachclub4 = '''Representative'''<br>Victoria | coachgames_wins4 = <br>1 (1–0–0) | coachstatsend = 2017 | sooyears1 = | sooteam1 = Victoria | soogames_goals1 = 16 }}
'''Deborah Lee''' (born 1974) is a former Australian rules football player and coach.
She has campaigned for recognition of women's Australian rules football in Australia, giving up a WNBL career to focus on developing the sport.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/the-legend-of-deb-lee-20150521-gh6edq.html|title=The legend of Deb Lee|newspaper=The Age|last=Flanagan|first=Martin|date=22 May 2015|accessdate=29 August 2017}}</ref>
She was later appointed president of the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL).
Apart from being the president of the VWFL, she played for the St Albans Spurs. She first played in 1990 with the East Brunswick Scorpions before forming her own club in 1992, the Spurs. Hall won the Helen Lambert Medal as the Victorian women's competition best and fairest five times and was an All-Australian named player six times.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=History-maker Debbie Lee joins Saints great in Hall of Fame|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/669968/history-maker-debbie-lee-joins-saints-great-in-hall-of-fame|access-date=2021-08-24|website=afl.com.au|date=24 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
Lee worked as the head of the Melbourne Football Club's AFL Women's operations in 2017 before leaving to take up the same role with the {{AFLW|WB}} in 2018. She was at the same time appointed as the club's VFLW coach for the 2018 season.<ref>{{cite news|title=Women's football pioneer Debbie Lee leaves Melbourne to join Western Bulldogs|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/aflw/womens-football-pioneer-debbie-lee-leaves-melbourne-to-join-western-bulldogs/news-story/0cf4f311bd77711c4cf2d3c742ac1ca6|accessdate=26 February 2018|work=Herald Sun|publisher=News Corp Australia|date=11 October 2017}}</ref> A key initiative of Lee's were the Melbourne-Western Bulldogs exhibition matches that ultimately paved the way for the formation of the AFLW.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title='We were an afterthought': Women's footy trailblazer becomes historic inductee|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/666134|access-date=2021-08-24|website=afl.com.au|language=en}}</ref>
Lee was the first-ever female inductee to the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2021<ref name=":0" /> for her playing excellence and for being the driving force for women's AFL.<ref name=":1" />
==References== {{Commons category}} {{Reflist}}
{{2017 Victoria women's State of Origin players}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Debbie}} Category:Victorian Women's Football League players Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Category:Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Category:20th-century Australian sportswomen
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