For the first time in Hawthorn’s 97-year history, women will run out in the brown and gold for the first time as an AFLW team this August.

At the helm of this history-making side is women’s football trailblazer Bec Goddard, who has begun preparations for what will be an exciting inaugural season for the Hawks.

“I’m here because I get to create connections with what really matters and that’s family, being a part of something really special and being valued as a woman that contributes to sport at the highest level,” she told The Outer Sanctum.

At the base of Hawthorn’s first AFLW season are “gold standards”, which will provide the framework for not only elite on-field behaviours, but also upholding the club’s important values off the field.

“We talk a lot about gold standards and having that in the corner of our house,” Goddard said.

“We’ve been really focused on letting players have creativity within a broad game plan and empowering the athletes to have decisions on the field without being too prescriptive about where they should be kicking it and where they shouldn’t.”

So with the framework set, what comes next is filling the rest of Hawthorn’s AFLW list with talented draftees.

With the processes already in place to build good connections, Goddard is optimistic about their futures in the brown and gold.

In terms of determining which talent to bring into the club, Hawthorn’s plan is pretty simple.

“We’re really confident with our draft hand and we know that we’ve got seven picks inside the first 13 in Victoria,” Goddard said.

“Our focus is going to be picking the best talent in that draft to complement a really exciting group of players that we’ve got here already.”

Turning her attention to the season ahead, Goddard encouraged Hawthorn fans to return to their “OG” team in the AFLW because there are some exciting times ahead.