7 June 2013
AFL SportsReady Trainee and Operations Officer for the region, Nathan Turner spent a week in Melbourne as part of the AFL’s Footy Means Business program. This is his account of the week.
From Monday the 20th of May – Monday the 27th I had the privilege of attending the Footy Means Business Program which is run by AFL’s Indigenous Programs and Rio Tinto. Invited to the camp were 50 talented Indigenous boys from across the country including Melbourne, country Victoria, Cairns, Tasmania, Perth, Tiwi Islands, Adelaide, Sydney, Northern Territory and Torres Strait.
The week long camp wasn’t just based on football it was based around a number of key areas to help educate us through life. While on the camp we spoke about 4 pillars. – Communication, Identity, Resilience and Decision Making. The camp was run by 3 time Brisbane Premiership Player Chris Johnson and Ex St Kilda and Brisbane player Xavier Clarke.
Throughout the week we were put through our paces with a number of different activities ranging from an Etiquette session with Anna Musson to playing football at Punt Rd. We also had the privilege of spending a day in the Channel 7 Studios where we were interviewed by Michael O’Loughlin and Brian Taylor on the Sunday Football Show set. Thursday night was spent at the Marngrook Footy Show.
On Friday we were divided into 10 teams from there we were pushed to the limits in The Amazing Race within the City of Melbourne and then watched the Collingwood Vs Sydney game at the MCG that night.
And of course on Saturday we made our childhood wishes come true by getting our chance to play on the MCG which is just a feeling you cannot describe. And not only playing on the MCG but performing the War Cry with all the other brothers from around Australia.
Throughout the week we had many guest speakers like AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou, Channel 7 Commentators Bruce McAvaney, Samantha Lane, Matthew Richardson, Cameron Ling and Leigh Matthews plus many more. Dave Hughes came along to give us a funny spray for the Saturday Night Before The Bounce Footy Show.
The week away has made me a better footballer by making me want me to become more professional with the way I go about things at training and on game day. I need to doing everything properly and train hard to get the most out of my talent. I found out the recovery is really important if you want to get up for the game the next week so you need to follow the correct procedures and be committed at all times.
Having been named in the leadership group, reflecting back on the camp I think it has made me a better person by making me get out there and stepping out of my comfort zone and standing up to be a leader on and off the field. You always need to be doing the right thing and setting the right example as everyone in society takes notice of what you are doing. It will help me be more confident and step up and do things I normally wouldn’t do.
Nathan Turner
Operations Officer
AFL Goulburn Murray
Last Modified on 18/11/2016 14:27