I still remember playing footy as a kid in the pouring rain at eight in the morning.
A lot of those kids I ran around with, completely soaked on those cold mornings, are still my mates today.
So many people have great memories of their junior football days, and the relationships that were formed in those years. I could go on for days about the amazing and time-consuming work that our coaches and football department do that makes us into the players we are at Geelong.
But the players they get to work with when they're drafted into the club are the product of some unsung heroes of the football world - junior football coaches.
It's the coach who sets the atmosphere who can make it a positive experience.
These wonderful people volunteer their time all because they love the game so much.
They don't have to do it. They have families, work and many other life commitments.
They would be tired during the week when they front up on those frosty nights to put some young chargers through their paces in the depths of winter.
I'm sure they would like to sleep in on a weekend, but instead they're getting up at the break of dawn to steer their budding young footballers to victory.
Neil Lynch, Greg Riddle, Craig Stack, Brad Lee and John Bright are some of the names you might know around Geelong, but for everyone else, these are the men I owe a great deal of gratitude to for teaching me the right way to play football, as well as being respectful off the field.
Never underestimate the role of a junior coach in any sport as a role model to young minds.
I was very fortunate to not only have great coaches, but even better people to look up to.
They taught me about playing football the right way - play the ball hard, train hard and work hard.
They instill that old theory in you - the harder you work, the luckier you get.
But even with all the junior coaches I had, it was still always about fun. I think that's really important for all kids and junior coaches to remember.
It was as serious as it had to be, but it didn't go too far that you lost the enjoyment for it.
Once you get into senior footy, it all becomes too serious, so junior coaches just need to let kids play and enjoy the game.
Sure, I learnt to play all positions, and to kick on both sides of the body, but it wasn't drilled into you in army-style, it was always a bit of fun.
I think parents have their role to play in all of this, too.
There's no point putting pressure on young kids. You've just got to let them develop, and let them want to play the game.
You don't want them resenting the game because that'll cause problems afterwards.
Let them have fun with their mates and know that you don't have to be the best player or a future champion.
If they've got mates around, you're much more likely to want to keep going.
I might be talking about experiences from my club, Bell Park, but every club in Geelong could rattle off a list of names of similar people who help keep their club ticking over.
Every player should never forget where they've come from because that same club you ran out for when you were a youngster has always been proud to say that you are theirs.
Article courtesy of the Geelong Advertiser.
Last Modified on 28/04/2010 11:23