Kelli Underwood: First Female AFL Commentator Bio

Kelli Underwood’s voice has been part of Australian football for more than two decades, but her place in the game goes far beyond the commentary box as she was the first woman to call an AFL match on radio and television, breaking a barrier that had stood since the league’s earliest days. Her career has also drawn sharp public criticism — a mix that makes her story one of both achievement and endurance.

First woman to call AFL: Yes ·
Seasons covered: 25 ·
AFL games called: 333 ·
Award: Order of Australia Medal (OAM) ·
Born: 1977

Six biographical facts, one pattern: each milestone charts a path from regional radio to national television — and a career that kept evolving under public attention.

What happened to Kelli Underwood?

Early life and education

Kelli Underwood was born in 1977 and grew up in South Australia. She studied journalism at the University of South Australia, a foundation that led her into radio before she ever set foot in a television studio.

• Interned at Adelaide station FIVEaa
• Worked two years at 5MU in Murray Bridge
• Moved to Geelong’s K-Rock, then to 3AW in Melbourne as a sports reporter and AFL match-day reporter (Wikipedia)

Career highlights

Her television career began in 2006 when she joined Network 10 as a sports reporter for Ten News and Sports Tonight. The breakthrough came in 2007 when she became the first woman to call AFL on radio. Two years later, on 18 July 2009, she called her first AFL premiership season match on television — Geelong versus Melbourne at Kardinia Park for the NAB Cup (Wikipedia).

• 2017: Head caller for AFLW on Fox Footy
• 2020: Returned to calling AFL men’s football on television
• 2020: Awarded the Order of Australia Medal (Wikipedia)

Current role at ABC

She continues to commentate AFL matches for ABC Grandstand and has hosted the panel show Offsiders. Her Instagram biography lists her as a broadcaster for both Fox Footy and ABC Sport. According to ABC listen, she has called 333 AFL games across 25 seasons.

Is Kelli Underwood still commentating AFL?

Recent AFL commentary roles

Yes. Underwood continues to call AFL games. She works across both ABC Grandstand radio coverage and Fox Footy’s television broadcasts. According to ABC listen, her role includes both commentary and hosting duties. There has been no official announcement of retirement or reduced involvement.

Any hiatus or changes

No sustained hiatus. The only notable change was her departure from the ABC panel show Offsiders in 2023, which ended a regular hosting role but did not affect her match-day commentary schedule. She returned to Offsiders for its 20th anniversary, according to a 2026 Instagram post.

The implication: Underwood’s commentary work remains active and consistent. The move away from Offsiders was a programming change, not a broadcasting retirement.

Who is Kelli Underwood married to?

Personal life details

Kelli Underwood is married, but her spouse’s name has not been publicly disclosed in any major profile or interview. This gap in public records is common among Australian sports journalists who maintain a separation between their professional and private lives.

Spouse information

No named source confirms the identity of her husband or partner. The absence of a named spouse in high-authority profiles suggests this information is intentionally private.

The trade-off: Underwood has built a recognisable public career while keeping her marriage out of media coverage — a boundary that many broadcasters in the Australian market choose to draw.

Who is Kelli Underwood’s father?

Father’s identity

Information about Underwood’s father has not been published in any major profile or biographical entry. Her Wikipedia page lists her birth year and hometown but does not name either parent (Wikipedia).

Family influence

Without a named father in the public record, the question appears to stem from reader curiosity rather than a documented family narrative. No source suggests that a parent played a known role in her media career.

What this means: The absence of this information is not unusual for a public figure whose family has chosen to remain out of the spotlight. No verified source contradicts the privacy of her family background.

Why is Kelli Underwood leaving Offsiders?

Departure from Offsiders

Kelli Underwood announced she would leave the ABC panel show Offsiders in 2023. The program, which reviews the week in sport, had been a regular platform for her. According to Wikipedia, she hosted the show and was also a regular panellist on Fox Sports’ The Back Page.

Reasons and speculation

No official reason was given for her departure. Public discussion at the time linked the move to incidents of criticism — notably a 2025 Facebook post that amplified complaints about her commentary on player Izak Rankine. A Reddit discussion in 2022 debated whether the criticism directed at her was disproportionate and gendered.

Why this matters: Underwood’s experience on Offsiders shows how public scrutiny can shape a broadcaster’s career moves, even when the talent and track record are undisputed. The absence of an official reason leaves room for interpretation — but the pattern of gendered criticism documented across multiple seasons is measurable.

Timeline

• 2007: First woman to call AFL on radio (ABC News)
• 2009: First woman to call AFL on television — NAB Cup match (ABC listen)
• 2017: Head caller for AFLW on Fox Footy
• 2020: Awarded Order of Australia Medal (Wikipedia)
• 2023: Announced departure from Offsiders

For more on AFL figures, see Andrew Brayshaw and Matthew Nicks.

What’s confirmed and what’s unclear

Confirmed facts

• Kelli Underwood was the first woman to commentate AFL on radio and television (ABC listen)
• She has covered 25 AFL seasons and called 333 games (ABC listen)

What’s unclear

• She received the Order of Australia Medal in 2020 (Wikipedia)
• She studied journalism at the University of South Australia (Wikipedia)
• She works for ABC Sport and Fox Footy (Instagram)
• Her marital partner’s name is not publicly disclosed
• Her father’s identity is not published
• The exact reason for leaving Offsiders has not been officially stated

Voices on her career

“Kelli Underwood has led the way for female sports journalists and broadcasters.”

— ABC listen

“She was the first woman to call AFL on radio and television, breaking a longstanding barrier.”

— ABC News (Backstory)

“Criticism of Underwood throughout her career, especially early on, has been described as disproportionate and gendered.”

— Wikipedia

Summary

Kelli Underwood’s career is the story of a barrier broken and a standard set. She was the first woman to call AFL on radio and television, and 25 seasons later she is still calling games across ABC and Fox Footy. But the public scrutiny that followed her — much of it documented as disproportionate and gendered — also shaped the narrative around her. For Australian sports broadcasting, the choice is clear: credit the milestone, acknowledge the criticism, and recognise that Underwood kept calling games through both.

Her groundbreaking career is celebrated in a detailed look at her OAM award that covers her journey from the commentary box to receiving the Medal of the Order of Australia.

Frequently asked questions