AFL ignores invitation to FifthQtr Foundation event as James Hird and other past players open up

A fresh independent support group for past players have been left disappointed after the AFL refused their invitation to attend an official event. See what was said here.

AFL legends James Hird and David Glascott speaking at an event for Fifthqtr Foundation. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The driving forces behind an independent support group for past players have been left disappointed by an AFL snub of its official event on Tuesday night.

FifthQtr Foundation director Ken Hunter said his organisation wanted to work with the league and AFL Players’ Association to provide better assistance to struggling ex-footballers.

But neither the league or AFLPA accepted an invitation to attend a forum at Princes Park where prominent figures spoke including James Hird, Bryan Cousins and Joanne Venables, the mother of medically retired West Coast premiership player Daniel Venables.

The registered non-profit, founded by Hunter and his former Carlton teammate Ken Sheldon in 2017, outlined its objectives including the creation of a “safe haven” for former AFL and AFLW players in every state, the creation of a scheme to pay lifetime private health insurance for all players, and the establishment of an annual Past Players round to celebrate retired footballers.

Hird spoke openly to the room. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

More than 100 past players attended the function including Carlton greats Wayne Harmes, Mark Maclure and David Rhys-Jones, high-flying former Melbourne forward Shaun Smith and Simon and Justin Madden.

As Hird spoke candidly to the room about his well publicised mental health struggle following the Essendon drug saga a decade ago, Carlton triple premiership player David Glascott for the first time revealed his own personal battle after losing a core part of identity in retirement.

“I finished in 1992, and I remember (a year later) I was playing football somewhere and I was driving down to training and I had to pull over the car and just stop, because I was crying so hard,” Glascott said.

“What I felt was grief, which I recognised now, and I don’t know if there was help available, but I certainly didn’t seek it out, and tried to just push through what I felt, which was a loss of self.”

The organisation released its Future Direction Report in conjunction with the Combined Past Players and Officials Association, which also called for clubs to employ a full-time past player welfare manager.

Joanne Venables and Bryan Cousins speaking at the event for the FifthQtr Foundation. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

AFL player advocate Iain Findlay said despite the need for an independent voice to put past players’ needs first, FifthQtr was not attempting to replace the AFLPA, and should be able to supplement the league’s resources.

“The AFL should be saying, ‘let’s use FifthQtr, let’s have another resource, let’s work in a cohesive way with them’, because at the end of the day, we’re all working for one cause – to help the Glascotts and the Hirds and the Venables,” Findlay said.

“We’re not here to fight them, we’re not here to be taking over from them – we’re here to work in a cohesive way with them.

“Why, for heaven’s sakes can’t the AFLPA use us as a resource?”

There were no retired AFLW players present at the event, but the foundation was confident of becoming an important contact point as the ranks of past female players grew in size.