Inside story: The last of SA’s old school footy dads
Given the massive strides made in AFLW, are we looking at the last of the old-school “footy dads”, who had to face hurdle after hurdle in the battle to get their girls on the field?
SA Weekend
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA Weekend. Followed categories will be added to My News.
No one can deny the success of the AFLW. From relatively humble beginnings in 2017, every game is now televised and it sits comfortably with the men’s game in the sports pages of our biggest newspapers.
In terms of coverage and the ongoing battle for parity, there is still a way to go. But there is little doubt the AFLW has made the concept of women and girls playing Aussie Rules something that is not only accepted by the wider community, but genuinely gives generations of girls an elite sporting goal to which they can aspire.
You don’t have to look too far back to see it hasn’t always been this way.
For many years, females playing the men’s game, regardless of their talent, were something of an outlier.
Today, things couldn’t be more different.
The Crows are one of the success stories of the competition. Having won the inaugural premiership in 2017, they stormed into the 2019 Grand final against Carlton, winning by 45 points, playing on Adelaide Oval in front of a record 53,000 crowd. In last year’s Covid-affected season, the Crows again made the Big Dance, playing Brisbane, but losing by 18 points.
Today, they return to Adelaide Oval to take on Fremantle in the AFLW preliminary final from 2.10pm. It has been quite a journey. Given the strides that have been made, could Keith Allan, Steve Newman and Paul Jones – fathers of Sarah, 24, Madison, 20, and Eloise, 22 – be among the last of the old-school “footy dads”?
Here they share their thoughts and memories.
Liz Walsh: What are your earliest memories of your daughters playing football?
Keith Allan: Sarah had a footy in her hand from the time she could walk.
Steve Newman: I was still playing myself when Maddi was born, so she grew up around the game and always loved it.
Paul Jones: I remember Eloise as a three-year-old having a kick-to-kick in the street.
LW: When your daughters started playing junior footy, were they the only girls in the team and how did you feel about that?
PJ: El sure was, but it didn’t bother me at all.
KA: There were about eight girls at the Beachport Auskick clinic where Sarah played, but later when she played with the Junior Colts for Hatherleigh she was the only girl. I always thought it was pretty cool. I remember in her second year, they won the footy premiership and then she headed straight over to the netball courts where she won the netball Grand Final as well.
SN: Maddi played primary school football with her twin Hallie and older sister Casey, so because she had her sisters in the team, there was a real sense of belonging and the coaches and boys were very supportive.
LW: So you never felt out of place as the dad standing on the boundary despite so few girls also playing?
PJ: Nope. El was the best player by far and everyone could see that. She was always the only girl in her team, but it never bothered me at all.
KA: Me neither. Doesn’t every dad want to kick the footy with their kids in the back yard?
SN: I’m a bit different. When Maddi was young, I did feel a bit out of place, mainly because in the back of my mind I knew that she would have to stop playing at the end of primary school. All the other parents were talking about which clubs their boys would be playing at next and that made me feel sad because Maddi loved footy so much and I knew she was definitely going to be missing out.
LW: So if you knew back then that your girls would have to give up footy, did you ever try to talk them out of playing, or steer them towards another sport instead?
KA: I’m not sure if Sarah ever asked if she could play footy in the first place. It was more a case of creating the opportunities and if the opportunity was there, then she’d play.
SN: I expected that Maddi would want to play because she was always asking me to kick-to-kick with her and she loved watching the Crows on the TV. I played footy myself and enjoyed it so much, so I was never going to talk her out of it. But when footy ended, she started playing cricket in the summer.
PJ: I always told El that footy is the greatest game on the planet, so I would never have tried to talk her out of playing. But once footy was done, she turned to basketball and she was really good at it. In 2017 she was given a college scholarship in the United States, but then the AFLW started. When she said she wanted to give up on heading to the States for basketball to stay home and play footy that was one of the happiest days of my life! So good!
SN: The funniest thing to ever come out of Maddi’s mouth as a kid was when she was six or seven and she was about to go to bed. She was a bit upset and said she was worried about something and I asked her what and she said, ‘I don’t want to be drafted by Essendon’. Unbelievable, because she obviously had it in her head even back then that it didn’t matter if you were a boy or a girl, you could play AFL.
LW: Did you ever worry about other parents’ reactions to your daughter playing against their sons?
SN: No, but it made me laugh when parents saw how well Maddi could kick the ball in primary school. On one occasion she kicked a checkside on the run to a teammate and a dad yelled out: “What? Did you see that?”.
KA: When Sarah was in the Junior Colts team, they used to wear helmets and the opposition couldn’t tell if they were girls or not, so she got crunched in the tackles just like the boys. I guess if you choose to play!
LW: Did you ever worry about your girls playing footy then?
PJ: Not really. El goes hard at every sport she plays and after 15 years I’ve just got used to it. The injuries always worry me but it is what it is.
SN: I certainly don’t worry about it now that she’s in the AFLW system, because I see how much coaching is put into developing her skills and knowledge of the game. She is in good hands in relation to technique for protecting herself and not putting others on the field in danger.
KA: I’ve seen plenty of people carried off a netball or basketball court.
LW: So, now that your daughters are in the elite system, how do you support them on a day-to-day basis?
KA: I’m always there for a chat if Sarah needs.
PJ: El still lives at home with us, so I just try and feed her a good breakfast on the weekends when she’s about. But we try not to talk about her footy, the girls and the team during the week as she likes to feel like it’s OK to just be at home, with no pressure and stuff like that.
SN: Agreed. I just try to listen and ask questions to check in and see how Maddi is coping. The pressure of AFLW and vying for selection is pretty intense, ask any family member supporting one of their kids to chase their footy dreams and I think they would say the same: ‘It’s a bit of a rollercoaster!’
LW: Do the dads of the Crows players get together to support each other?
KA: Like any sport, the dads find a way to get
to the bar and have a chat.
PJ: And when we’re there we tell each other how good their kid is! But, seriously, at the Crows, family is extremely important. Family. Work. Footy. Family is always first. Our Crows family always looks after each other, on and off the field.
SN: The fact I used to play footy against Teah Charlton’s and Caitlin Gould’s dads always makes for a few laughs! While we are also connected on social media, it’s those family and player get-togethers that are crucial to the club’s culture. Parents are definitely there for each other when times are tough. But keeping a fun and lighthearted vibe is an important element and that’s usually Paul Jones’s job!
PJ: Ha! Unfortunately, Covid protocols have made it impossible for our usual before-and after-game functions this year, and it’s something I really miss. Especially after a win when the girls come into the room and we all chat and talk about the game, because it’s just an amazing feeling.
LW: So, what’s the strangest thing you’ve ever heard from the sidelines?
PJ: We try to travel to as many Crows games as we can and a few years ago we were down at Casey Fields playing against Melbourne. Two blokes were standing at the bar at the northern end, they’d been walking past the ground and wandered in for a look. They asked me who was playing and after explaining about the AFLW and the teams, bloke No. 1 turns to me and says: “So it doesn’t really mean anything then.”
In that game, El got her nose broken and came off under the blood rule, but she played most of the second half without being able to breath. Yeah mate. Means nothing …
LW: What do you say, then, when someone criticises the AFLW?
KA: Well, they’re entitled to their opinion. But seriously, what level of sport are they playing?
PJ: I could say so much on this topic it will drive you crazy, so I’ll just say this: “If you don’t like it, don’t watch it or comment on it or send letters to the ’Tiser”.
SN: I just ignore them. The AFLW is a game for the players first and foremost, they are doing what they love, as are those who coach and support them, it’s not supposed to be based on how a spectator or critic values it. It’s about the players’ love for the game. They have found their path and will leave an amazing legacy for other girls to enjoy.
KA: Footy has always been a big part of my life. As kids, my mum would take us to SANFL games every week. In my playing days my parents went to almost every game, so it is natural for me to want to be at as many games as possible and now I think my mum has more granddaughters playing football than grandsons. So whatever criticism someone might give the AFLW, it’s not going anywhere.
LW: What do you love most about the AFLW?
PJ: Watching my kid play the game she loves! What could be better?
SN: Absolutely. And also that it’s so inclusive. The AFLW provides the chance for everyone to participate and enjoy what I think is the greatest game there is. A young girl can look to these players and have someone to aspire to be like.
KA: I just love that the AFLW happened
and that it’s here to stay. I’m grateful to the people who worked tirelessly to make it a reality.
PJ: Yes, you’re both right, these amazing women are creating a pathway. Whether they’re players or coaches or admin staff,
they are all strong woman who are
exceptional at what they do and how they
do it.
LW: I’m sure you all also worked tirelessly in the background to help out your girls.
KA: Sarah and her sisters Jess (who plays for
the Giants) and Megan all loved their sport
and it made our lives hectic from about 2010 until 2017. I feel exhausted just thinking about
it and then I think about my wife Sue who was there every step of the way plus she would have organised the trips, shopped for all the supplies, packed all the bags, and then unpacked when
we arrived home. The girls played basketball, netball and football, not to mention SAPSASA, swimming, athletics. We travelled everywhere for sport for competitions and trainings. I’ve done a tally of the two cars in our driveway
and they’ve driven almost 600,000km in 10 years.
LW: Today, what surprises you most about the AFLW?
KA: Thankfully nothing. Being involved in the AFLW is a great reward for all the time and effort Sarah has put into sport in general and especially footy. She made a lot of sacrifices during her teenage years and now she is working even harder to improve every year.
PJ: I’m actually surprised that the league is still semi-professional.
SN: But despite it being semi-professional, I’m surprised by the focus and the attention to
detail both on and off the field that is required. And the importance that’s placed on goal setting, review and planning that keeps their minds ticking.
■
More Coverage
New Italian eatery doesn’t serve pizza – and that’s not the biggest surprise
Can an Italian restaurant really get away without serving pizza? As our reviewer finds, that fact isn’t even the most surprising element of this new restaurant.
‘Told I was too young for cancer. Now I have 4 months to live’
Dismissed by doctors as not being old enough for cancer, Milly Mitchell heartbreakingly shares how her young son will only have ‘mummy’ in his life for a few more months.