Many people think life as an AFL footballer is all weights, training and running, however, as our Rising Stars members learned last Wednesday, life in football's professional system is much more complex.
The West Coast Eagles’ high-school aged members were welcomed into the club’s inner sanctum to learn exactly what life as an AFL footballer entails.
After a brief welcome in the warm-up room, the group made their way the club’s lecture theatre to hear from VFL legend and the West Coast Eagles’ player services coordinator Ian Miller.
Miller, who is responsible for the players' welfare, spoke to members about the need for balance in players’ lives due to immense pressure and public scrutiny. He also spoke about how short the average professional footballer's career is and how important it is for them to have other career options.
He discussed his role within the club, from placing draftees with host families, dealing with the effects of homesickness and helping the players find flexible study options to assist their transition into life after football.
After taking some time to pick Miller's brain, the group was introduced to two members of the club’s communication department in to discuss the players’ media commitments and personal brand before heading into the players’ lounge to put their tips into practice.
Rising Stars walked in to the lounge to discover the media banner was up and ready for action. They were even more surprised to learn that this was the exact spot where Adam Simpson often did his media crosses and that we would be giving them the opportunity to do a mock-up interview.
A few brave members gave it a crack, with some producing classy answers to several hard-hitting questions.
After wrapping up the media section of the day with some headshots, it was back into the lecture theatre to hear from past player Adam Selwood.
He delved further into what had been discussed with Miller, explaining the process of being drafted and moving to the other side of the country in a matter of a few short days.
He also discussed his transition from a player for the West Coast Eagles to a full time staff member.
As a member of one of AFL’s most famous football families, there were plenty of questions for Selwood before the event concluded.
As a special surprise to finish off the day, our Rising Stars members were given the opportunity to hold and have photos with the 1994 AFL Premiership Cup.
We would like to thank all of our Rising Stars members for joining us for their final event of the year.
If you would like more information regarding the Eagles Rising Stars membership, please click here.
