In pursuit of their AFL dream, talented junior footballers will make countless sacrifices along the way.
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Even the most routine of events, moving away from home, changing clubs or simply saying no, to a night out — they all play a significant role in making a dream come true.
Family members and close friends are there every step of the way, but it is the people at club land who can make the biggest difference.
Bendigo Pioneers regional talent manager Steve Sharp is one of the unsung heroes of the football world.
But you wouldn’t hear him running into the streets to tell everyone about his day, he is more than happy to go under the radar.
“People like me are community-minded football people,” Sharp said.
“Given our region is one of the smallest in the country, in terms of participant numbers, we understand just how difficult it can be.
“I get satisfaction when I see a Bendigo Pioneers player have their name called out at the draft.”
Last year, the Pioneers had four players selected across the AFL national and mini-drafts, including Echuca’s Brodie Kemp who joined Carlton.
And Sharp, alongside other members of the Pioneers staff, went to great lengths to ensure Kemp remained in their system.
Kemp was completing his Year 12 studies at Geelong Grammar, alongside Thomson Dow (who joined Richmond), meaning Sharp would drive the pair back and forth to have them involved in games and training.
“We think it’s important to keep a strong connection with the players who have been with us since they were much younger,” Sharp said.
“Over the years we’ve lost kids to other NAB League programs because they’ve moved away from home and this is something we’ve addressed.
“Brodie and Thomson were an example of how kids have to play wherever they can sometimes, but it was great they still wanted to come back and play with their mates.
“And we feel like it helps to take a lot of weight off the parents’ shoulders because they also have to make sacrifices.
“These decisions have paid dividends in a short time. We’ve had an average of four players drafted in the past four years.
“Before that it was 11 players in eight years.”
And the Pioneers aren’t just making an impact when they’ve got access to the players either, exposing those away from the club to different levels of training.
“Geelong’s VFL has been very good to us by allowing the kids to train with them on a regular basis,” Sharp said.
“It is a great way of showing those guys what it takes to take the next step in their careers, the one they’ve been dreaming about since they were kids.
“Given the position we’re in, winning isn’t everything.
“The level of an individual’s development and getting players to be their best is how we judge ourselves at a club.”
While outsiders may see the Pioneers’ NAB League boys and girls sides as not important, staff at the club believe it is just another step in an individual’s journey.
With players coming from the central hub at Bendigo to as far away as Mildura, the Pioneers aim to reduce travel for their players and parents.
This included a training base being established at Moama during the early stages of pre-season for those selected in the twin towns and surrounding region.
“We’re committed to looking after local kids,” he said.
“Having training bases goes a long way to helping people save time and money. Fuel consumption is one of the biggest costs at this level of football and we want to do our part to help minimise it.
“We have staff who will travel to each area and complete training sessions and they are all the same.
“When we do cut our lists prior to the season, that’s when we do ask people to travel. But you often see kids from surrounding areas come together.
“There are also some cases where we do home stays, mostly for our top-age players, but that’s because they are in their draft year.
“The Pioneers have a strong community connection and our goal will be to always continue that.”
Given the partnerships they do share with clubs across the region, Sharp said local competitions continue to benefit from players being exposed to high quality football.
“We want everyone who walks through our doors to get the best out of themselves, as a footballer and person,” he said.
“When our players go back to their local clubs, we want them to be role models.
“If we see players doing well for their home club, we think we’ve done our job.
“Our coaches and staff don’t do what they do for recognition, they do it out of love for the game.”