Players in the new team playing its first AFLW round this weekend are being offered opportunities for various jobs and leadership development ranging from administration to engineering that recognise football commitments.

Forward Gemma Houghton said she expected some players to jump at the offer as they juggled work with football training and game commitments.

“There will be a number of girls who will take that opportunity of having that support of your work environment around coming to train and going to games,” Houghton said.

AFLW players are paid far less than their male counterparts as they head into the first 18-team season and need other jobs, but Houghton said it could be tricky negotiating with employers around games, training and appointments.

“This week we are flying to Perth on Friday for our first game and everybody had to take time off work, we have some games on Sundays and we need to fly back and be at work Monday,” she said.

“It can be quite daunting, you are having a lot of time off work to juggle things that might be as simple as a physio appointment.”

Half-forward Jade De Melo already works as a mechanical engineer for Santos and said her work colleagues were “over the moon” about her being in the team.

“My boss has been really good, obviously this takes up a lot of time and energy and he understands how crazy this opportunity is, they have been very supportive and flexible with work hours,” De Melo said.

Port Adelaide chief executive officer Matthew Richardson welcomed Santos extending its partnership with the club into the AFLW program that includes employment and leadership pathways across the company’s business where  AFLW athletes can work around football commitments.

“When we spoke to Kevin (Gallagher) about the vision we had for AFLW, and the opportunities and pathways for women, he immediately saw the importance and we are very proud to have Santos as a co-major partner of our AFLW team,” he said.

Santos’ chief executive officer Kevin Gallagher said supporting the AFLW was a great opportunity and the the company had been a club supporter for years.

“Santos is a proudly South Australian company that employs locals and invests in the community and extending our partnership through to the AFLW with Port Adelaide is another way of giving back to communities in which we operate,” Gallagher said.

Port Adelaide’s AFLW team plays its second round at home ground Alberton, where recent redevelopments have brought match day facilities up to scratch, including new change rooms, recovery rooms, coaches and commentary boxes along with interchange benches in the Fos Williams Stand.

Houghton formerly played for Fremantle AFLW and was looking forward to returning to her hometown to play this weekend insisting her family were backing Port Adelaide in the clash.

“They secretly think I look better in teal,” she said.