How AFL stars are building their brands off the field

Whether it’s a podcast, cooking up a storm or slinging drinks, these AFL stars are making a splash off the field. It’s the new generation – and it’s only the beginning.

AFL stars are using their fame to create business opportunities.

At the peak of his powers, just a few months after winning the Brownlow Medal, Tom Mitchell snapped both the tibia and fibula in his left leg at Hawthorn training.

An accident in the heat of January, Mitchell’s 2019 season was wiped out and one of the best players in the game suddenly found himself with too much time on his hands.

“I was always told as a young player to make sure you have something outside of footy and I didn’t really take it too seriously until I broke my leg at Hawthorn,” he said.

“I was probably at the top of my game and I missed that whole season (2019). I really struggled mentally because I just put everything into footy, all my eggs were in one basket and I didn’t have other outlets.”

Tom Mitchell in his hospital bed after suffering a broken leg. Picture: Instagram

It’s an age-old story: the footballer who invests every inch of his time into the game without really thinking about work-life balance or what happens when the hamster falls off the wheel.

After Mitchell missed a full season, a year later Covid rolled around and most activities around the world got put on pause.

The midfielder, who is now at Collingwood, joined forces with Patrick Cripps, Lachie Neale and Erin Phillips to create the incredibly aptly named Ball Magnets.

Initially an app to help local footballers up their skills and fitness during the pandemic, Ball Magnets now provides tips through videos and social media, alongside two podcasts.

Mitchell’s venture is part of a long, long line of footballers in business off the field and it points to the new generation of players running their own shows while mid-career.

Tom Mitchell runs "Ball Magnets" which is an app for young footy players. Picture: Jason Edwards

There are still plenty of footballers investing in property or pubs like in generations past, but there are more now behind microphones hosting podcasts or designing over fashion labels.

A veritable Mt Rushmore of modern day marketability, Bailey Smith, Charlie Curnow and brothers Josh and Nick Daicos all pushed alcoholic mixed drink Barry onto into fridges at bars and onto shelves at bottle-O’s.

In typical Gen Z marketing, the group popped up at the Torquay Hotel earlier this month slinging cans following an Instagram campaign.

A Harbour City version, Swans Will Hayward, Ollie Florent and, more recently, Isaac Heeney sell their own alcoholic fizz in a can called Doozy.

Putting a superstar footballer’s face on Instagram creates instant buzz for their product and sitting in the boardroom to build the brand makes for a more enjoyable revenue stream than the old school talking head on a car dealership ad in a local town.

Or the footballer can just build a brand completely in his own image, as Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca has.

The Demon’s incredibly popular cooking videos have seen him pull in 499,000 followers on Instagram and 382,400 on TikTok and any of his sponsored posts draw in thousands of dollars each.

It was enough for his chef work to earn a derisive title of ‘Brand Petracca’ as reports emerged last year he was keen to get traded out of Melbourne.

On a slightly less polished scale, Cats star Jeremy Cameron is always uploading video from his farm or the golf course.

“It’s really good fun ... I’m building a following now which is nice,” he told this masthead in July.

“Doing a few different things, trying to get a bit more relaxed in front of the camera.

“You never know what doors it might open.”

The indefatigable Jack Ginnivan has dipped his toes into all sorts of pursuits and he paired up with Nick Watson to sell Hokball merch at the same time as his club Hawthorn was trying to cash in on the craze that swept through the brown and gold fanbase last season.

The Hawks had no issues with Ginnivan and Watson hawking their clothing in September last year, but the hokball.com website is now defunct.

Jack Ginniban and Nick Watson. Picture: Instagram

Goalkickers at the Western Bulldogs and Carlton respectively, Cody Weightman and Darcy Vescio both held exhibitions of their art last year in Melbourne’s hipster surrounds of Fitzroy and Brunswick.

For Mitchell, another foot injury in December, coming off a 2024 season ruined by foot problems, was a brutal setback, so having an outlet outside of the clubrooms has been a help.

“When footy isn’t going your way and your body can’t do the things you want to do, it can be quite mentally challenging,” the 2023 premiership player said.

“So having something else you love, like with Ball Magnets, creating content in the footy and sporting space to help people be their best is something I am really passionate about and has made this injury easier.

“If you told me at the start of my career that I would be running a business while playing AFL, I would have said you were crazy.”

Lachie Neale and Tom Mitchell. Picture: Supplied

In this era, footballers are always being drilled about preparing for life after retirement.

Lions superstar Neale said that drove his involvement in the business.

“Having pursuits and opportunities outside of footy such as Ball Magnets has been fun to build with some good mates, Patty and Tommy,” he said.

“It will also help the transition when we leave the game post-footy to keep pursuing something we are passionate about.”

Mitchell said Ball Magnets aimed to teach at a “little bit more advanced level”.

Between Mitchell, Phillips, Neale and Cripps, the quartet shares seven AFL/AFLW league best-and-fairest gongs.

A recent post from the brand had Cripps demonstrating how to break tackles, a football equivalent of Donald Trump teaching how to make headlines.

“I particularly love being able to help the younger kids in the Ball Magnets community that are coming through the ranks to get better through sharing what we have learnt in the game,” the Carlton captain said.

Mitchell hopes to build towards training camps if the brand grows and creating content is a key pillar behind that planned growth.

But footy remains the clear priority.

“I am really excited by what we can do with Ball Magnets once we have the ability to put some full time love into it,” Mitchell said.

“It is a bit difficult when footy is your No.1 priority, and it is my No.1 priority, as it is with Lachie and Crippa.

“It is difficult to apply a full time amount of time to Ball Magnets when footy is your No.1 driver of what you want to do.”

Josh Giddey with AFL stars Patrick Cripps and Tom Mitchell. Picture: Instagram / Ball Magnets

BEHIND THE MIC

Like so many others, Ball Magnets has steadily built up a podcasting portfolio.

Thanks to Josh Giddey, the NBA star who is also on board with Mitchell’s crew, guests on the pod have included 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony and legendary big man Shaquille O’Neal.

Then there is the roll call of footy personalities: Ben Cousins, Ray Chamberlain, Jack Ginnivan and Scott Pendlebury.

A second show will run on Monday’s this year, recapping the weekend of footy.

Mitchell said it was easier for both the host and the guest to jump behind the microphone when they enter the building with the shared bond of being a professional athlete.

“We have had some world class talent and I think what they really appreciate is the athlete to athlete bond,” he said.

“As a journalist you might get a robotic answer but they really open up in that forum (podcast).

“I think there are already so many things you can relate to, whether that be injury, media scrutiny or the ups and downs of what high level sport can be. It doesn’t get much bigger than winning a premiership, which I have been fortunate to be a part, like Lachie (Neale), but also the lows of season ending injuries and other challenges that go with playing footy. We try and give those stories so people can relate to us on a human level.”

Fans may have never been closer to, or seen more of, their favourite stars.

The extra attention can be a positive and negative.

Bombers ruck Sam Draper became the frog in a saucepan when the water suddenly got hot after he told his 200 Plus podcast he shares with North Melbourne’s Charlie Comben and respected journo Nick Butler in May that “if Bevo’s still there, there’ll be some players requesting trades”.

The Western Bulldogs coach in the gun of that comment, Luke Beveridge, labelled the talk “bizarre” and Draper’s coach Brad Scott was “really disappointed”

Draper took a couple weeks off the show and apologised to Beveridge but the podcast has rolled on since.

And for the record Draper was right: Beveridge stayed and the Dogs players did not, with Jack Macrae, Caleb Daniel and Bailey Smith all departing the club in the off-season.

The Draper faux pas hasn’t stopped footballers flocking to microphones.

As Mitchell said, talking with like minded footballers is a relaxed way to get personalities into the public.

They just have to know how much personality to give before getting themselves in trouble.

Originally published as How AFL stars are building their brands off the field