Elite college helps keep footy-mad boys in school

An elite footy college opened by Tigers star Alex Rance is catching AFL recruiters’ interest and helping keep teens in school with an unconventional sporting twist on subjects, favouring the Essendon drugs saga over Shakespeare.

Tiger Alex Rance with students from The Academy.

An elite college focused on football development is helping footy-mad boys stay in school by focusing all its classes on AFL.

Essendon school The Academy was founded by Richmond AFL star Alex Rance and Luke Surace three years ago to provide an alternative to standard year 11 and 12 schooling with a strong focus on AFL development.

AFL star Alex Rance with academy student Cody Raak.

“There are so many young men coming into the AFL system and they don’t know much about themselves, and if football doesn’t work out it’s going to be a pretty dire situation for them,” Rance said.

Although the school attracts many potential future AFL stars, it is primarily concerned with the boys’ mental health and will ward clubs off drafting a student if they’re not up for it.

Mr Surace said Collingwood, North Melbourne, and Melbourne were all interested in one particular student last year, but recruiters were told the student wasn’t ready for the pressure of footy stardom.

Rance training his college students.

“We are 100 per cent honest about how they would cope, and that’s why this one student didn’t get drafted,” he said.

Students check in on their mental and physical health every morning using an app that can be accessed by the school’s coaches and teachers.

Student Cody Raak said if it wasn’t for The Academy, he would have already dropped out of school.

“Coming here was the best decision I’ve ever made,” Mr Raak said.

“I’m a better person, a better athlete.”

MORE: NEIGHBOURS TRY TO REVIVE TORCHED WEST FOOTSCRAY GHOST BIKE

GOOD KARMA CHARITY FORCED TO SPLASH CASH ON ONLINE TROLLS

COUNCIL CONTRACTOR PROBED AFTER DIRTY WATER DUMPING CLAIM

The 16-year-old student, who currently plays for the Western Jets, said teachers at The Academy cared about his future.

“At my old school it felt like the teachers didn’t care and expected an A plus on everything,” he said.

“If I stayed, I probably would have tried to find a job and dropped out.

“I wouldn’t be happy at all.”

Mr Raak said his back-up plan was to become a real estate agent, and the school had already helped him secure work experience.

Mr Surace said football was not a lifelong career and teenage boys with athletic talent needed to have a back-up plan.

“There are a few young men who are getting spat out of the system after a year or two and don’t know who they are,” he said.

“They had all their eggs in one basket and nothing to fall back on.”

3 years ago Alex Rance & @lukesurace set out to create a school (The Academy) that would support students to Create a...

Posted by The Academy AU on Monday, 31 December 2018

Students attend a mixture of physical education and classroom lessons that involve AFL.

“Instead of Shakespeare, they read about the Essendon drug saga,” Mr Surace said.

The Academy is transitioning to an independent private school, subject to registration granted by the VRQA.

The school is offering three scholarships in 2020 and the next information session at the school is June 4 from 4pm to 5pm.

[e-mail]