27 Facts About Will Ashcroft

Will Ashcroft was born on 6 May 2004 and is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Will Ashcroft began playing football as a child at the age of six.

Will Ashcroft played for various teams in Queensland as a child, before moving to Melbourne in 2019 at the age of 15 where he commenced playing for the Sandringham Dragons.

At the 2022 AFL Draft, Will Ashcroft was chosen to play for the Brisbane Lions.

Will Ashcroft was widely considered the best player in the 2022 draft class by AFL club recruiters.

Will Ashcroft was born on 6 May 2004 on the Gold Coast, to parents Rebekah and Marcus Will Ashcroft.

Will Ashcroft has two siblings, one of which is fellow professional footballer Levi Ashcroft.

Will Ashcroft attended All Saints Anglican School for most of his youth.

Will Ashcroft played a variety of sports while growing up on the Gold Coast and was selected to represent Queensland in swimming as well as athletics before focusing on Australian rules football.

Will Ashcroft played junior football from a young age, and was at 10 years old selected by the Gold Coast Suns to take part in their academy program.

Will Ashcroft has stated that his personal training standards were inspired by Gary Ablett Jr.

Will Ashcroft was awarded the Gold Coast Suns under-14s Academy Player of the Year award after the 2018 season where he played alongside future AFL players Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers and Will Graham.

Will Ashcroft relocated to Melbourne in 2019 where he began attending Brighton Grammar and competed in the U15 AFL National Championships, although this time he would captain Victoria to an undefeated gold medal performance.

Will Ashcroft temporarily moved back to Queensland in 2020 to play in the QAFL junior league for Morningside during the COVID-19 pandemic-affected year which cancelled all junior football competitions within Victoria.

In 2021, after moving back to Victoria, Will Ashcroft was deemed a top draft prospect after performing well for Victoria Metro in the U17 National Championships.

In 2022, Will Ashcroft captained the Sandringham Dragons to a NAB League premiership and Victoria Metro to an U18 National Championship, later receiving the captaincy honour in the U18 All-Australian team as well as the Larke Medal.

Will Ashcroft since agreed to remain with the Brisbane Lions until at least the end of the 2026 season.

Will Ashcroft made his AFL debut in Round 1 against Port Adelaide, gathering 13 disposals and a goal in a 54-point defeat.

In Round 2, Will Ashcroft collected 31 disposals against Melbourne and received a Rising Star nomination as one of the best players on the ground in only his second game, earning widespread praise from the AFL media and community.

In Round 19, Will Ashcroft ruptured his ACL against the Geelong Cats, ending his debut season prematurely and therefore missing the 2023 finals series.

The AFL community all widely expressed their support for Will Ashcroft, who was the Rising Star favourite and had been a standout player for Brisbane despite it being his debut season.

Will Ashcroft documented his recovery process through his website, WASH Performance and Wellbeing.

Will Ashcroft's was nominated for and won the Goal of the Year, announced at the 2023 Brownlow Medal.

Will Ashcroft finished the year with 10 Brownlow votes, the third-most for the Lions, finishing behind Joe Daniher with 12, and Lachie Neale, who won the award with 31.

Will Ashcroft returned from his ACL injury mid-way through the 2024 season, returning against Melbourne in Round 16 and playing a crucial role in the Lions' mid-season resurgence that saw them bounce back from a below-average season start to make finals with a fifth-place finish.

Will Ashcroft would be instrumental in the Lions finals run, and was part of the Brisbane Lions 2024 premiership winning team, winning the Norm Smith Medal as best afield in the Grand Final with 30 disposals and a goal.

At 20 years of age, Will Ashcroft became the youngest Norm Smith Medal winner since 1979, when Wayne Harmes won the inaugural edition of the award.