Geelong AFLW recruit Erin Hoare on juggling work and academic commitments with a football career

Geelong recruit Erin Hoare is proving that it is no tall order to balance AFL Women’s and academia after recently being awarded a highly sought-after international scholarship to pursue research surrounding mental health.

Erin Hoare’s AFLW career is a juggling act. Picture: AFL Media/Getty Images

THE doctor is in the house.

Erin Hoare is proving that it is no tall order to balance AFL Women’s and academia after recently being awarded a highly sought-after international scholarship to pursue research surrounding mental health.

Hoare, a Deakin University Australian Rotary Health Fellow, completed her PhD in 2016 and is preparing to travel to Cambridge University next year before jetting to Boston after this month receiving a prestigious Fulbright Future Scholarship to spend time at Boston University in 2020.

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Erin Hoare’s AFLW career is a juggling act. Picture: AFL Media/Getty Images

And she is determined to maintain both life as ruck at the Cats and researcher.

“The research looks at how we can use diet and physical activity to protect mental health,” Hoare said.

“Not cure, and not totally prevent or treat, but to support and protect.

“Since (finishing my PhD), I’ve been working as a post-doc at Deakin and have been successful with a bit of funding, which is really good because mental health research hasn’t historically received a lot of funding.

“And there’s obviously been a historical stigma associated with mental health, too. That’s changing a little bit now, and we’re starting with new ways to look at mental health and look at particularly anxiety and depression and how you might be able tap into things every day that might support mental health.”

Erin Hoare leaps high for Geelong’s VFLW side. Picture: Arj Giese

The 29-year-old Geelong local works in the Food and Mood Centre at Deakin’s Centre for Innovation in Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Treatment (IMPACT) at Barwon Health.

The Fulbright Future Scholarship — which will see the former Melbourne Vixen travel to Boston in 2020 — means a new project, entitled ‘Food, Move, Mood: Mapping the protective potential of diet and physical activity for mental health across the lifespan’ and will allow Hoare to examine comprehensive population data and how changes in physical activity and diet may protect against things like depression and anxiety.

But don’t expect her to be hanging up the boots in favour of the white coat.

“That’s the idea — to work it around footy,” the 194cm ruck said.

“I’ve worked really hard to get these opportunities, but the bigger picture is that mental health is something that we need to understand better. And no one is immune — it affects everyone. The fact that I get to pursue that as a career is really exciting, and that it’s not mutually-exclusive to our sport.”

Erin Hoare began her sporting career in netball, playing for the Melbourne Vixens.

Her teammates at the Cattery, many familiar faces given Hoare plays VFLW there after having spent last AFLW season at Melbourne, show plenty of interest in her off-field work, too.

There’s landscapers, teachers, musicians — and doctors like Erin — just to name a few that make up the group, that she admits may never have met one another were it not for football.

“Our unique skills and experiences I have no doubt help us as a team, and help us as athletes in achieving our goal,” she said.

“We all come together and I really think it’s a strength of our team, and no doubt other teams too. It’s a variety of people.”

An “innocuous” Lisfranc injury that required surgery in September has derailed Hoare’s training ability in recent months, and robbed her of an opportunity to play in the team’s VFLW grand final against Box Hill.

But she remains hopeful of a Round 1 berth against Collingwood to open season AFLW03 and the Cats’ presence in the competition.

“It’s feeling good and I’m in the rehab program, so I’m looking forward to getting back to the main group training soon,” she said.

“That’s the goal for me is to be ready, and I’m feeling really good. It’s been good to build some strength. With my build, my strength is something that I have to focus on for football, especially, so that’s been one positive.”

Originally published as Geelong AFLW recruit Erin Hoare on juggling work and academic commitments with a football career