A former AFLW player claims she was heckled and spat at by a group of young men while playing in her local league's senior women's grand final.

It comes as former AFL men's and women's players say they are being targeted at local levels, with many choosing to step away from the sport because of it.

Ashleigh Guest — who played for GWS, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs — said a group of three jeered and taunted her from the sidelines through the decider.

Then, as she went to pick up the ball from behind the goals near the end of the final quarter, Guest says she heard one of them spit at her.

"I jumped up straight away and was like, 'Did you f***ing spit at me?' and they just laughed," Guest told ABC Sport.

How AFL players are treated post-retirement Photo shows Close-up of a man w

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