I have played footy for most of my life.
Played Auskick from a young age, then started playing competitively when i was 11-12.
Injuries have slowed me down since i was 17 (now 24). In the last 6-7 years ive only managed 1 full season of footy without a missing a game.
The reason for this was injuries, a shoulder reco, then a knee injury in 2010. In that time i have had a falling out with my original junior/senior club, and switched clubs a number of times.
I injured my knee in Rd 1 of 2010 and since then havent really had much of a crack at footy.
Since late last year, i have managed to lose over 20kgs of weight and gotten back into shape (better shape than i was).
Up until recently, i had written off playing footy this year, but now ive had a couple of mates ask me to come down to their clubs to play and now its got my footy passion back a bit.
The question i have is this, how long is too long to be out of the game? Assuming i dont play this year and start up again next season, ill be 25 and hadnt played a full season of footy since i was 19-20.
Im now questioning my previous decision to write off this year, as now i feel i could use this year as a stepping stone to taking the game for more serious next season.
The only thing that is holding me back at the moment are the following.
- My body: i want to lose another 10-15kg before im down to an ideal weight, and i dont want to play footy unless im close to a normal weight. But another part of me thinks that footy will speed up my weight loss more than what im doing currently.
- My knee: When i injured my knee in 2010, i tore my meniscus and partially tore my ACL (which is rare). I had surgery to repair the meniscus, but was told by the surgeon that my ACL would not require a reco, and would be able to handle the pressure of AFL football. I have played cricket over the past 2 seasons without any major issues with my knee. It seems the knee has become more of a psychological issue than a physical issue. So it plays on my mind.
- Finding the right club: I have played for 3 clubs over my career. Still feel an attachment to my original club, but i feel now that my race was run at the club and need to move on. Ive been asked by a number of mates to play at a number of clubs, and im finding it hard to decide (if i play) which club i want to play for. I would most enjoy playing with mates i know and hopefully win a few games (havent played in successful teams).
I had thought that i had lost the passion to play, but now the juices seem to be flowing and im beginning to remember the parts i missed. Having a kick at training, getting excited the morning before the game, kicking a goal etc.
I dont want to quit football forever and regret it when im older and unable to play.
Has anyone ever gone through a similiar situation to me? Am i better off taking another year off to get the body right, or should i just use this year as a stepping stone to greater things in 2013?
Played Auskick from a young age, then started playing competitively when i was 11-12.
Injuries have slowed me down since i was 17 (now 24). In the last 6-7 years ive only managed 1 full season of footy without a missing a game.
The reason for this was injuries, a shoulder reco, then a knee injury in 2010. In that time i have had a falling out with my original junior/senior club, and switched clubs a number of times.
I injured my knee in Rd 1 of 2010 and since then havent really had much of a crack at footy.
Since late last year, i have managed to lose over 20kgs of weight and gotten back into shape (better shape than i was).
Up until recently, i had written off playing footy this year, but now ive had a couple of mates ask me to come down to their clubs to play and now its got my footy passion back a bit.
The question i have is this, how long is too long to be out of the game? Assuming i dont play this year and start up again next season, ill be 25 and hadnt played a full season of footy since i was 19-20.
Im now questioning my previous decision to write off this year, as now i feel i could use this year as a stepping stone to taking the game for more serious next season.
The only thing that is holding me back at the moment are the following.
- My body: i want to lose another 10-15kg before im down to an ideal weight, and i dont want to play footy unless im close to a normal weight. But another part of me thinks that footy will speed up my weight loss more than what im doing currently.
- My knee: When i injured my knee in 2010, i tore my meniscus and partially tore my ACL (which is rare). I had surgery to repair the meniscus, but was told by the surgeon that my ACL would not require a reco, and would be able to handle the pressure of AFL football. I have played cricket over the past 2 seasons without any major issues with my knee. It seems the knee has become more of a psychological issue than a physical issue. So it plays on my mind.
- Finding the right club: I have played for 3 clubs over my career. Still feel an attachment to my original club, but i feel now that my race was run at the club and need to move on. Ive been asked by a number of mates to play at a number of clubs, and im finding it hard to decide (if i play) which club i want to play for. I would most enjoy playing with mates i know and hopefully win a few games (havent played in successful teams).
I had thought that i had lost the passion to play, but now the juices seem to be flowing and im beginning to remember the parts i missed. Having a kick at training, getting excited the morning before the game, kicking a goal etc.
I dont want to quit football forever and regret it when im older and unable to play.
Has anyone ever gone through a similiar situation to me? Am i better off taking another year off to get the body right, or should i just use this year as a stepping stone to greater things in 2013?
