AFL Canberra’s Year 7-9 Junior School Competition Final will now carry the name of one of the city’s star AFLW exports, AFL Canberra has today announced.

Sydney Swans AFLW midfielder Cynthia Hamilton has been honoured with the renaming of the female junior school final competition she once played as a junior aspiring player.

Now, Year 7-9 school football sides from across the nation’s capital will compete for the Cynthia Hamilton Shield in recognition of her impressive rise to the elite level from Canberra’s grassroots competitions.

Hamilton was taken by Sydney with pick 11 in the 2022 AFLW Draft, and her breakout performance in the senior side saw her go on to win the inaugural Sydney Swans AFLW Club Champion.

“It’s a real honour to have the AFL Canberra Year 7-9 Junior School Cup named after me," Hamilton said.

“I still remember playing in these school competitions growing up in Canberra, and hope students and schools continue to embrace these opportunities for years to come!”

GWS Giants player and Canberra local Tom Green has had the male competition named after him. 

AFL Canberra’s Year 7-9 Junior School Competition invites schools from across the city to field male and female teams in a competitive pathway tournament against other schools in search of claiming the Tom Green Cup and Cynthia Hamilton Shield.

Winners of the Tom Green Cup and Cynthia Hamilton Shield progress to the AFL NSW/ACT Junior Schools Cup Final where they compete against the victors of the age group’s state-wide regional competitions.

“Tom and Cynthia’s progression to the AFL and AFLW is an inspiring pathway for junior Aussie Rules players across our territory," Steven Mahar, AFL Manager – ACT and Southern NSW said.

“The naming of the Tom Green Gup and Cynthia Hamilton Shield is in celebration of these players’ achievements, their continued engagement with the AFL Canberra community, and to motivate the next generation of players aspiring to follow in Tom and Cynthia’s footsteps.”

With the naming of the Tom Green Cup and Cynthia Hamilton Shield, the star players join other notable Canberra athletes to have school trophies named in their honour, including the Jack Steele Shield and Hannah Dunn Cup (year 5-6 competition), as well as the Mark Armstrong Shield and Elise O'Dea Cup (year 10-12 competition).

AFL Canberra’s 2025 Year 7-9 Junior School Competition Final will be held this Tuesday 12 August at Jamison Oval, Macquarie.