Writing for WAtoday — and looking for ideas...

[GilG]

Hey, everyone! Hope you all are enjoying the dwindling days of the off-season. While I'm putting finishing touches to my book about US-born-and-bred footballers in the AFL system, I have a new freelance gig I'm very happy to share with you: being a contributing writer to WAtoday's footy coverage.

My first piece, a short profile on Claremont's Sam Petrevski-Seton, is scheduled to run Wednesday or Thursday of this week. I met and interviewed him today in nearby Santa Monica, as he was here with his NAB AFL Academy teammates, after they did a week of high-performance training at a Florida facility. If he stays healthy and has a strong year on Claremont's senior list, he's very likely to be a Top 5 Pick in the next AFL National Draft. He trained with Freo earlier this month.

Since I'll be writing about footy in WA, if any of you can think of article ideas that relate to the game, whether it be Fremantle, West Coast, a WAFL club, or any other footy story that has a good human interest element — and if it involves a person or people I could actually connect with by phone, or Skype — please let me know!

 

[UFO Tatsu]

couldhavebeen swimming exercise

 

[UFO Tatsu]

Hey, everyone! Hope you all are enjoying the dwindling days of the off-season. While I'm putting finishing touches to my book about US-born-and-bred footballers in the AFL system, I have a new freelance gig I'm very happy to share with you: being a contributing writer to WAtoday's footy coverage.

My first piece, a short profile on Claremont's Sam Petrevski-Seton, is scheduled to run Wednesday or Thursday of this week. I met and interviewed him today in nearby Santa Monica, as he was here with his NAB AFL Academy teammates, after they did a week of high-performance training at a Florida facility. If he stays healthy and has a strong year on Claremont's senior list, he's very likely to be a Top 5 Pick in the next AFL National Draft. He trained with Freo earlier this month.

Since I'll be writing about footy in WA, if any of you can think of article ideas that relate to the game, whether it be Fremantle, West Coast, a WAFL club, or any other footy story that has a good human interest element — and if it involves a person or people I could actually connect with by phone, or Skype — please let me know!

Btw mate. Congrats on the gig. Can't wait to read it.

 

[mustlovepurple]

tendai as afl multicultural ambassador.

 

[GilG]

Btw mate. Congrats on the gig. Can't wait to read it.

Thanks, mate!

 

[Grape Bear]

Congrats, Gil! How about a piece on culture building in the football clubs? Given that footy culture at the Bombers is one of the elephants in the room being blamed for the drug saga, it would be interesting to get an inside view on how these goals or values are established and built on?

It could be pitched to clubs as an opportunity to assure grassroots stakeholders that their sons would be going into a good, character building environment rather than a toxic one. I wonder if that's possible?

 

[Jezzitizle]

I always find the where are they now articles interesting. Not sure who to interview though. Maybe try to get hold of hurley to go for the foreigner playing footy angle which is obviously your area of expertise.

 

[Quokka]

Quokka: The Greatest of All Time, except he got distracted along the way, kinda sucked at footy as a kid, you know what teenage years are like and is getting a bit grey now for a late run at it.

I'm telling you it was only a strict word count that kept me out of Fremantle's An Illustrated History.





If that's too controversial I like idea of interviewing Hurley, he's been on the list over a year now, played 14 or so WAFL games and everything is sounding really positive going forward. Would love to hear how he's feeling about 2016, his second preseason compared to his first, as well as what he was doing footywise during those couple of years in Ireland after his first tryout with Fremantle.

 

[Sweetback]

You could write about diversity. Not necessarily of the players but of the crowd. I know there are LGBTI groups who follow the footy: https://www.facebook.com/PinkMagpies but you also see a lot Asian faces in the crowd these days, including a bunch on here. It'd be interesting to hear from them as many wouldn't have the family history of following the footy that the whiteys and Indigenous fans have.

 

[Halfbaked]

Great idea. I would love to hear the story of my favourite person on this site, Meima. This passion is what football is about. As is yours GilG. Most on here have grow up loving footy, but some have learnt to love it.

 

[Purple Maverick]

You are a star Gil!

I would suggest the topic of: The difficult transition of Indigenous players from remote communities into the AFL and why they fail. Understanding the core barriers and fleshing out the gaps in the current AFL systems that do not enable a successful transition. Then conclude with a set of steps on how to improve the problem.

I have had a fair bit to do with Mifsud over the past 18 so I know this is something the AFL would keen to assist you with.

 

[Freo Dr]

You are a star Gil!

I would suggest the topic of: The difficult transition of Indigenous players from remote communities into the AFL and why they fail. Understanding the core barriers and fleshing out the gaps in the current AFL systems that do not enable a successful transition. Then conclude with a set of steps on how to improve the problem.

I have had a fair bit to do with Mifsud over the past 18 so I know this is something the AFL would keen to assist you with.

Oohh combine this with a few summary 'where are they now' could be very interesting: clayton collard, casey sibosado, josh simpson and that is just recent Freo players. Since Josh Simpson is now having another crack with East Freo he could be more open to talking about it.

 

[jedi mind tricks]

tendai as afl multicultural ambassador.

X2

 

[Schraderbrau]

not enuff focus on Victoria imo

 

[Nothing]

A few ideas:

Marc Webb. Had an interesting career. Retired from footy then picked up for coaching after a few years out of the game.

Drugs in sports. More on the recreational side. You can relate to the lax NFL standards. You can do the article about the Collingwood boys, you know for that Victorian focus.

Aussie Rules around the world. How many teams in US and Canada, for example.

Also agree with an indigenous focus.

 

[theGav56]

I don't have a specific idea for you but I would love to read something about the importance of the lesser coaches. I am slightly amazed that we have brought in some inexperienced coaches and they have been given a significant amount of responsibility, and are stepping right up immediately. All this against the backdrop of a senior coach who is a perfectionist/control freak.

The other thing I am interested in is what role joy and happiness plays in becoming a better footballer. The squad seems to be training quite differently from previous seasons and it sounds a lot more fun, albeit with a very professional goal in sight.

 

[Rob]

How about some muckraking on West Coast players? Always good for the lulz.

 

[PurpleWizard]

I'm sure people would be interested hearing Fyfe's story from Lake Grace or Walters's banishment and success story

 

[Sweetback]

I'd love to read more about how Aussie Rules is doing in the states. If there's a league near you, Gil, or something about one of the bigger leagues over there. Old AFL players or administrators who may be involved, how receptive Americans are to the game at the grassroots level. What they do to follow the AFL, if it's a community thing or just dudes watching stuff online on their own.

 

[The Anchorite]

Well at least now when you get asked the typical writer question of where you get your ideas from, you'll have a good answer.

 

[GilG]

You are a star Gil!

I would suggest the topic of: The difficult transition of Indigenous players from remote communities into the AFL and why they fail. Understanding the core barriers and fleshing out the gaps in the current AFL systems that do not enable a successful transition. Then conclude with a set of steps on how to improve the problem.

I have had a fair bit to do with Mifsud over the past 18 so I know this is something the AFL would keen to assist you with.

I'd really love a go with that one. My first piece this week touches on that, with Sam Petrevski-Seton. Being an Angeleno (nickname for Los Angeles residents), I was totally curious as to what a kid from a place as remote as his town would think of all the skyscrapers, the car traffic, all the people. Here's the key: My getting to and actually seeing and experiencing these towns, then adding observations as an outsider. Maybe in July when I'm next scheduled to be in Australia, I could do that. I'd really be into seeing some Indigenous footy in NT.

 

[GilG]

I'd love to read more about how Aussie Rules is doing in the states. If there's a league near you, Gil, or something about one of the bigger leagues over there. Old AFL players or administrators who may be involved, how receptive Americans are to the game at the grassroots level. What they do to follow the AFL, if it's a community thing or just dudes watching stuff online on their own.

That I can definitely do. A good mate of mine who's from the wheat belt (Miling) is a Freo supporter and he coaches the Orange County Bombers. I'm also mates with the cousin of North Melbourne defender Ed Vickers-Willis, who lives in LA, teaches and plays for the L.A. Dragons. And footy in the USA is far from being just a boys' club. This weekend I fly north to Sacramento to meet, interview and include in the epilogue of my book, a 24-year-old woman named Katie Klatt, who next month heads to Sydney to take part in the AFL's Talent Search for women. She'll officially be our first born-and-bred American woman to have a crack. She definitely wants to play in the AFL Women's League.

 

[GilG]

Well at least now when you get asked the typical writer question of where you get your ideas from, you'll have a good answer.

Yep! Good journos always cultivate, check in with, respect and credit their sources.

 

[E Shed]

I'd really love a go with that one. My first piece this week touches on that, with Sam Petrevski-Seton. Being an Angeleno (nickname for Los Angeles residents), I was totally curious as to what a kid from a place as remote as his town would think of all the skyscrapers, the car traffic, all the people. Here's the key: My getting to and actually seeing and experiencing these towns, then adding observations as an outsider. Maybe in July when I'm next scheduled to be in Australia, I could do that. I'd really be into seeing some Indigenous footy in NT.

I have worked in the past for a not for profit that takes music production and performance facilities to remote communities in WA. They tie in with the Western Desert Sports league which holds carnivals in conjunction with WAFL clubs (primarily Swan Districts), Health Organisations like Diabetes WA etc. The mob drive 1000's of km to whichever communities' turn it is to hold the carnival and play footy and basketball for 3 or 4 days and at night we run concerts.
The footy is amazing. I've played a couple of times, red dirt, 37C and most of the players in barefoot.

Some of the players have expensive boots and the like and they are usually the ones who have been down to the city to have a go. They don't come home because they are no good. They come home because their connection to their home country which is at the core of their traditional spirituality is stronger than any appeal the life of a pro footballer holds. That and the things that we value like money, owning a flash car and stuff just doesn't make any sense to them. They would rather be with family and go hunting and fishing and many of them have tribal roles within the community which place responsibilities on them.
This is at the core of it in my opinion. We can't offer them anything because what we have doesn't hold meaning to them.

It "might" be possible I could hook you up with the crew and you could go on a tour. Its hard work and hot conditions but would be an amazing experience to write about and you could possibly do them some good with publicity for the work they do.

 

[GilG]

I have worked in the past for a not for profit that takes music production and performance facilities to remote communities in WA. They tie in with the Western Desert Sports league which holds carnivals in conjunction with WAFL clubs (primarily Swan Districts), Health Organisations like Diabetes WA etc. The mob drive 1000's of km to whichever communities' turn it is to hold the carnival and play footy and basketball for 3 or 4 days and at night we run concerts.
The footy is amazing. I've played a couple of times, red dirt, 37C and most of the players in barefoot.

Some of the players have expensive boots and the like and they are usually the ones who have been down to the city to have a go. They don't come home because they are no good. They come home because their connection to their home country which is at the core of their traditional spirituality is stronger than any appeal the life of a pro footballer holds. That and the things that we value like money, owning a flash car and stuff just doesn't make any sense to them. They would rather be with family and go hunting and fishing and many of them have tribal roles within the community which place responsibilities on them.
This is at the core of it in my opinion. We can't offer them anything because what we have doesn't hold meaning to them.

It "might" be possible I could hook you up with the crew and you could go on a tour. Its hard work and hot conditions but would be an amazing experience to write about and you could possibly do them some good with publicity for the work they do.

Mate, thanks for your beautiful description, which gave me great visuals. I've read about Indigenous footy through my mate Martin Flanagan's book on Michael Long and in the book, the Liam Jurrah story. I would love to experience this firsthand. I'm totally down! By all means, please direct message me on this board. Let's talk!