Inside Gold Coast Suns Academy: Bodhi Uwland’s mum reveals commitment required for AFL dream

What exactly does the Suns Academy do to prepare players for the AFL? Michelle Uwland opens up on sons Bodhi and Zeke’s sometimes stressful journeys and why she would do it all again.

“It takes a village to raise a child” so says the popular proverb.

But what of an aspiring AFL player?

In Michelle Uwland’s case, there were – and are – sacrifices aplenty.

The mother of boom Gold Coast defender Bodhi and Suns Academy star Zeke now has it down to a fine art. But early in Bodhi’s aspiring AFL journey there were plenty of bumps in the road.

“It was a bit hectic and crazy looking back,” Michelle told this masthead.

Bodhi is one of the great success stories of the Suns Academy program. A foundation member of the club, he was one of the first lifelong Suns fans to turn his dream into a reality on the Gold Coast.

This year he has become a staple in Damien Hardwick’s side and in round 12 earned a Rising Star nomination following a standout performance against Essendon.

Michelle Uwland (top row, second from left) with sons Mali and Jarrah (top row, far right and currently in the Suns Academy), watching son Zeke at Saturday’s VFL match at People First Stadium alongside fellow Suns Academy families. Picture: Richard Gosling.

The 20-year old joined the Suns Academy at 12 and like many aspiring footballers, worked his way through the representative ranks.

In his 2021 draft year, Bodhi was awarded Suns Academy Player of the Year and selected with the final pick of that year’s Rookie Draft.

The carrot of an AFL contract had been achieved. But everything that came between joining the Academy and hearing his name called on draft night made it possible.

Bodhi juggled his ever-growing Suns Academy commitments with club football at the Burleigh Bombers and his schoolwork.

The closer he got to his draft year – and the more promise he showed – the greater the academy workload became. For he and his family.

“I had to adapt my work schedule to accommodate his training sessions,” Michelle explained.

“I changed hours, took time off, all these things to ensure I could get him to and from training.

“It was hard because there wasn’t a lot of flexibility at the club’s end for it, understandably. They can’t ferry the kids around. That all changes once they get their license, but that’s not until they’re 17. So we spent plenty of hours driving to and from things.

“It impacts your whole family.”

Once-a-week academy training became thrice-a-week when he hit U16s. Then came the gym sessions, skills homework, nutrition guidelines et al.

On top of the day-to-day travel were the trips for academy games, sometimes interstate, which were non-negotiable in the cutthroat world of junior footy where one missed game could mean being overlooked for future opportunities.

On training days players would arrive at 4pm and leave as late as 8pm. Sessions would include on-field, gym, education and recovery.

It’s been a journey full of ups and downs for the Uwland family. Picture: Richard Gosling.

Education sessions covered the width and breadth of what is required of an AFL player including player welfare, nutrition, recovery, high performance and even media training.

For away games they would travel the day before a game, play, and then fly out that same night. If a game was a Sunday for instance, they would land on the Gold Coast late that night and have to wake up for school the next day.

It sounds like a lot – and it was. But Michelle would do it all over again if it meant Bodhi could get to live out his AFL dream.

And so she is, now, with his younger brother Zeke, who looms as a likely first round prospect in the 2025 draft having announced himself to the world with a stellar U18 National Championships and VFL debut last weekend.

Gold Coast’s vaunted Suns Academy program was thrust into the spotlight last year after the club successfully selected four of its star graduates in an elongated first round of the 2023 national draft.

That heady haul of top-end talent has contributed to the likely changing of the father-son and academy draft bidding systems, to make it more difficult to pull off the kind of draft day coup the Suns achieved last year.

Gold Coast’s firm view is that its Suns Academy program, which now encompasses more than 1000 players top to bottom, is a necessity to growing the game in a non-traditional AFL market.

It is a view shared by Brisbane, Sydney and GWS who also boast quality northern academy programs and have helped supply a growing number of talented players to the AFL pathway system.

Bodhi Uwland in action. Picture: Getty Images

Michelle believes her sons would have fought an uphill battle to be AFL-ready players if not for the influence of the Suns Academy.

“We’re just so grateful to the club,” she said.

“The Suns Academy has been a cornerstone of not only Bodhi’s journey, but our journey with him. We’re immensely grateful for their support and belief in Bodhi’s potential and with Zeke coming through.

“We’re founding members of the club and witnessed the positive impact the academy had on him from a young boy coming up the ranks to now living his dream out playing AFL.

“They provide exceptional support across the club. When Bodhi had his injury, not only the physical rehab part of it but the crucial mental and emotional support as well.”

The Uwlands leant on their Suns family massively in 2022, when Bodhi’s debut AFL season was cruelled by stress fractures in his lower back.

From the highs of being drafted to the lows of feeling like his debut might never come, Bodhi had to very quickly learn about the not-so spectacular side of being an AFL footballer.

“He was living his dream, he was playing good football, he was healthy … to then be told he would have to be in a (back) brace for 23 hours a day, that he couldn’t swim, could only walk, and just smash himself in the heat room day after day while trying to stay positive,” Michelle recalled.

“The build up to his dream coming true and the Suns taking him in the Rookie Draft, to then feel like he had almost touched it before it slipped away – it was heartbreaking to watch.

“One tough moment was watching him play with the Broadbeach Cats just before he was diagnosed. He could barely walk or move when he got home. That’s when it was like, ‘OK, we need to further investigate this right now, because something is majorly wrong with you’.”

Earlier this month Bodhi revealed the mental toll that year took on him, particularly the meetings with doctors that often left him in tears.

Current Gold Coast Suns player Bodhi Uwland as a child (left) gets his jumper signed by former Suns player Trent McKenize.

“He was in excruciating pain,” Michelle added.

“After the diagnosis he had to go back for regular check-ups and repeat MRIs to make sure the bone was healing, but he never had a finish date. It was always ‘how long is a piece of string’ as to how long it would take to heal.

“When he was told footy wasn’t going to be happening that year, you could see the news really hurt him.

“He’s always been a positive boy and we are quite a positive family, so we did everything we could to make sure he could come back from it.”

Michelle completely altered Bodhi’s diet, which she had honed over the years in consultation with the Suns’ dietitians.

The club delivered an exercise bike to the family home so he could at least do something in the midst of his rehab.

It was a brutal almost 12 months. But the result was a mature, professional, ready-for-anything footballer who at 19 had already gone through what most never have to in their careers.

All the while Zeke watched and learned of the sacrifices it sometimes took to achieve an AFL dream.

“I suppose Zeke has a leg-up over others in the sense that he’s lived it with his brother. He’s seen his brother’s sacrifices and diligence and it’s daily that he gets to see that,” Michelle said.

“He knows all the commitment and sacrifices it takes in our family to support each other to be able to fulfil that dream.”

Zeke Uwland is considered a top draft prospect in 2025. Picture: Getty Images

The Uwland family is one of hundreds that have been positively shaped by the Suns Academy experience.

Not every young player who pulls on the red and gold can go on to play in the AFL. But for the select few with the talent and dedication to go the extra yards, it lays a crucial foundation for future success.

It is a program the Suns hope can continue to grow over the coming years, so that more homegrown talents like Bodhi can live out their AFL dreams on the Gold Coast.

For Michelle, the Suns Academy means she could finally see her two boys play together in the same team.

“The boys have never been able to play together because of the age gap,” she said.

“Zeke is a twin and my other boy is only 18 months older, so they’ve all played together. But for Zeke to play alongside Bodhi would be absolutely brilliant.

“That’s just the dream come true.”

Originally published as Inside Gold Coast Suns Academy: Bodhi Uwland’s mum reveals commitment required for AFL dream