Eddie Betts says AFL Clubs need to ‘take risks’ to find Indigenous stars of the future

As the number of Indigenous players on AFL lists continues to fall, champion Eddie Betts says clubs who are too scared to create “safe spaces” for young Aboriginal talent will miss finding future stars.

AFL great Eddie Betts has urged club recruiters to view indigenous players as an opportunity instead of a “risk” amid an alarming downturn in AFL numbers in recent years.

Indigenous under-18 players from his Eddie Betts Foundation elite football academy will take on Bachar Houli’s foundation at 5pm at Punt Rd on Friday, with Fox Footy to telecast the contest.

An alarming slide in Indigenous players in the AFL means there are only 71 players in the AFL this year, with the chance for that number to slump to the mid-60s with retirements and delistings.

Indigenous players to be delisted or retire in recent weeks include Chad Wingard, Brandon Parfitt, Marlion Pickett, Tex Wanganeen, Riley Bonner, Jack Martin, Tarryn Thomas, Jamaine Jones and Jordyn Baker.

Eddie Betts and Bachar Houli with some of the boys from the Eddie Betts Foundation and the Bachar Houli foundation who are playing against each other at Punt Rd on Friday night. Picture: Michael Klein

Many of Betts’ group of 24 young indigenous kids are from remote communities and learning professional life skills as well as being showcased in front of AFL recruiters for future drafts.

Betts said it was up to the AFL to continue investing in indigenous players amid the player drain but said if clubs set up safe spaces for them they would flourish.

“I can’t really comment on why these players aren’t on lists, but for me my goal is to give the younger generation of indigenous kids a better opportunity to get there,” he said.

“I will do everything in my power to help them. We need to make it a safe space for them, and these kids need to continue to be educated and grow themselves. They are often coming from nothing. But they are not risks. If it was a risk I wouldn’t have been drafted.

“It’s an opportunity so if you make these kids feel safe and loved and give them the right environment it will change their lives and they will have longevity in the AFL.”

The AFL has again allowed Victorian clubs to secure academy talent in the top selections in the national draft, which will see them investing in indigenous players because they can take them early in drafts.

Betts is adamant the talent is out there if clubs are prepared to invest.

“It’s not a talent thing. There is talent everywhere. There is so much untouched talent in our communities across Australia. It’s about me helping kids get into the best position with our foundation and to get them into the best space to be drafted. I tell our kids it’s not easy.

“You have to work your arse off to make it and you have to work twice as hard to prove you are good. Never give up and keep working. So the clubs should take these kids but you also have to understand their culture and their families and also gain their trust.”