Altona Football Club Leadership Night.
Leadership. It’s a word that’s used a lot, especially in sport and perhaps sometimes it looses its true meaning. Yeah, yeah the kids would say, we’ve heard it all before. But you got the feeling at the leadership night held at the RSL by the Altona Juniors Football club, the message really sank in, because it wasn’t all serious it was a bit of fun to. The people who spoke were proud and passionate and the kids who listened seemed quietly keen.
The RSL in Altona was the perfect location; it felt rich in knowledge and was the sort of place that you pass on stories from one generation to another other. The permanent backdrop behind the speechmakers seemed perfectly appropriate. ‘Remembering the past, embracing the future,’ because after all, this night was all about the kids.
Colin Davies, Vice president of the Altona Juniors Football club began the night at 7:30pm and the kids who were running, jumping, tugging and talking took a seat and at the beginning I really didn’t give them much chance of lasting to long, because oh no, all the adults were about to make speeches. But I was wrong.
Colin said, "You don’t understand what leadership means to us," this was a common thread throughout the night; you could really see that it that meant something to a lot of people. Diana Taylor, president of the WRFL spoke first. Diana not only occupies herself with this extremely demanding role but she is also a corporate lawyer which resulted in an ‘oooo’ from the audience. What was great about Diana was that she didn’t just tell us what leadership was she showed us, through the Dermot Brereton example. She had also taken the time to give everyone a copy of the account.
A player had run into Brereton on the ground, the actual footage doesn’t really do it justice. He was hit so hard that it made him physically sick, the excruciating pain was showcased through his facial expressions, so it would be fair to say that no one would have though twice if he were to have come off. But he didn’t. This was leadership in itself because although he hadn’t said anything, his actions had spoke a thousand words and inspired his team who went on to win the Grand final. It was the extra lift that he gave the team. And from what I gathered, leadership isn’t just about saying, "I go you follow," it’s about leading by example and doing it for your teammates.
The kids were encapsulated by Diana’s speech and everyone listened intently and one thing she said that stuck out was that you should never give up because there’s always an alternative. Look for it next time you might think things are getting tough.
Brendan Curry General Manager Williamstown Football Club who seemed like a humble bloke who knew his footy introduced that stars of the night Callan Ward, who was drafted by the Western Bulldogs at pick 19 last year and Brett Johnson current Captain of the Williamstown football club. It’s interesting to know that Callan had not won a grand final in U/14’s, U/16’s or U/18’s and neither was his journey through the Western Jets to the Western Bulldogs an easy one. As he said, "I didn’t think I should have been there." So for him life’s looking pretty good right now and it’s because of the hard work he’s put in. Curry reckons it’s only a matter of time before Ward Début’s for the Western Bulldogs and when he does, "he won’t be going back to the VFL any time soon."
Parents may have been relieved when Ward told the kids to focus on school, as most of us know the average AFL career is only a couple of years so it’s become increasingly important to have something to rely on when the dream suddenly falls short. Ward had said The Bulldogs had been ringing his school, Williamstown high to check his grades. Gulp! Callan is still very young, and leadership wise, he has along way to go but the way he spoke and interacted with the kids afterwards, he seems well on his way. Brett and Callan both received heavy claps after their speeches and were in demand for pictures afterwards.
Dan Broadbent who plays Cricket for the Altona seniors but who has also played for England with the likes of Michael Vaughn and Andrew Flintoff, has achieved much for a 23 year old. At this stage of the night the younger parts of the audience began to fidget and wiggle around but Dan got them to interact with him. He asked everyone to put their hand up if they were coach. "Hold ‘em up, now put you hand up if you’re a captain, put you’re hand up if you’ve ever suggested something at training, keep holding them up guys. Put your hand up if you’ve ever encouraged someone. Suddenly everyone had their hands up, suddenly the young kids were awake again and suddenly, everyone knew that they could be a leader in some way if the wanted to. Dan importantly added that you also have to have fun while you’re doing it, because you’ve got to have the drive. As for girls, well they’re distractions, plenty of time for them later boys. I met Dan and his girlfriend Sophie afterwards and they were very down to earth nice people. It became blatantly obvious that Dan was great with all the kids and was no doubt a wonderful leader in his own team.
Trevor Lockwood current coach of the Altona U16A’s spoke with the classic ‘aussie’ football accent "youse all got to..." But it was great because you could see how much he loved what he was doing and just how much he believed in what he was saying.
The president of the Altona Junior Football club Steve Lawler also had a strong voice, there’s no doubt that he and the committee in general have put a lot of work into the club (largely from his own time) and I guess you respect him for what his done and listen to him because he says all the right things. Steve spoke about the ‘juggling act’, of balancing out footy with school and of course the major time sucker- the increasing social life. He also thanked Colin for organising the night he called ‘Col’s baby.’ Colin had said "we need to get all the leaders together and reward them" and it was an indeed rewarding experience for them and everyone else.
What was the highlight though was when Trent Raffedy the captain of the U/16 spoke on the night. He looked nervous and acknowledged that there "was a lot to learn" but he rightfully talked about mateship and respect, he didn’t have to say much about leadership because the fact that he was up there said it all. It was the pure symbolism of it; a young person getting up there and having a go and it wasn’t just his mum that was smiling. Everybody seemed to appreciate it and he received several well-deserved rounds of applause.
Steve Lawler said in his speech, "You’re only as good as the people you’re surrounded by" and on that night everyone was a star because everyone had a little leadership to give, mums and dads guiding their children, Steve and the committee (names) leading the club, Brendan Curry, Diana the kids who are the future leaders and Colin Davies who did a wonderful job organising the night that was a great success and who was so nervous that he read his script to me before hand.
It’s a bit more than sport, it’s about the community, sport is the vehicle that brings us together and teaches both adults and children alike the value of friendships, teamwork and work ethic that are important skills to have in life. It has also created an opportunity for a night like this one, that no other club had organised, that embraced the future and instilled the meaning of what leadership is and looks like in human form, what a great success it was.
Best leadership quotes:
Diana Taylor:
- "Put one foot in front of the other"
- "In all situations, there is an Alternative."
- "Lead by Example."
Callan Ward:
- "The main thing is to have fun"
- "Preparation and Hydration"
- "Listen to teachers and coaches"
- "Didn’t think I should be there" (but he is- never underestimate yourself)
- On his fellow Western Bulldogs players: "I didn’t realise how hard they train"
Brett Johnson
- Final message, "enjoy it"
Dan Broadbent
- "You’ve only got one person to lead, and that’s yourself"
- On coaches: "they should focus on presenting ideas, and you should focus on formulating your own answers to the questions."
Trent Rafferty
- On what’s important: "mateship and respect"
Steve Lawler
- "You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with."
Trevor Lockwood
"You don’t have to have a title to be a leader"