THE NAME SAYS IT ALL
300 GAMES FOR A CHAMPION
By Tony Cooper- Springvale Dandenong Leader, July 27
Football fans across Melbourne watched with admiration at the courage displayed by the Sydney's Ted Richards. The tough Sydney defender put his body in the way of a rampaging Brendan Fevola, and paid the price.
At Springvale Districts, we have witnessed the man in our number 3 jumper- Adam Champion display the same courage for over 20 years. He bears the marks of a man who has played hard for all those years. In the summer, when he shaves his head, he points to the scar he copped by sitting under a shocking pass from my brother against Collingwood Districts many years ago. To a footballer such as Adam, the only thing worse than a sore head, would be to show any fear. On Saturday we paid tribute to “Champ” as he completed his 300th game for his beloved demons.
Few would have thought that the cheeky little blonde kid would go on to be this enduring servant when he started as a junior at he club in 1980. Adam played all his juniors for the- then Springvale YCW Club except when school footy intervened. It will come as some surprise to many of his contemporaries that behind the quite façade is an intellect capable of having him admitted to Melbourne High School. However, there was little chance that Adam would be lost to the world of old boy school amateur footy- his best mate Rob Burns would have none of it.
Adam started his senior career at Districts in 1989 as 17 year old, playing in the reserves premiership of that year. He was a regular senior player until a couple of season ago when the demands of work and family life meant that he could not put the energy into training. Clubs such as ours see so many players retire when they get to that point, but retirement never occurred to Adam. He pledged instead to offer his experience and knowledge to help the young players in reserves, and was rewarded with more premiership success in 2007 and 2008.
It is true that football clubs attract and cater for all sorts of personalities. There are those who must be heard regardless of what they have to offer, and those who prefer to let their actions speak. Adam’s quietness is legendary. Once he shared a driving holiday around Australia with Burns. Fed up with the lack of conversation from the passenger seat , Rob asked why he didn’t talk more. The replay came “Rob, I don’t have anything I to say”. Rest assured however, that when he does have something to say, people listen.
It was my pleasure to coach the club and Adam from 2003-2005. Coaching is made a challenging experience as a result of the personalities and egos mentioned. Players react differently to the exact same situation. After a loss, some players would stomp in the rooms, full of bad language, punch the locker in frustration and sulk for a while. I never witnessed this from Champ. I suspect the reason was that he had given his all when he had the chance on the field. Even after losing the grand final in 2004, I sensed a player at peace with his efforts; he could not have given any more. During my time coaching Adam, I was not once left disappointed by his efforts.
Adam’s service to the club is not confined to ground. He has been a committee member for over a decade and an institution behind the bar. He has drawn enormous support over the years from his partner Kelly, who was club treasurer for six years. His most loyal fan remains his mum Carol, who rarely misses a game.
Take a bow number three; it’s been a great story.
Tony Cooper is secretary and a former senior best and fairest and coach of the Springvale Districts Football Club.
Last Modified on 15/08/2009 21:46