Tara Murray
Among those busy setting up the rooms and making sure all the training equipment is in order at Werribee Football Club are a couple of kids hoping to make their mark in the sporting industry.
The students from SEDA College, which is based in Hawthorn, have become part of the club as they combine study and work placement.
In the process the two get to learn about all elements of the club and discover which part of the sporting industry they love.
Werribee community and football development manager Hamish MacInnes said having students from SEDA and also work experience students opens up opportunities for young people in the community.
“We’re Wyndham’s local elite club and we want to get good community people in,” he said.
“It provides a pathway to where they want to go. We work on all elements of the business. Most are into footy ops side of things, but they get to experience all the different areas.”
MacInnes said the opportunity to be involved in the club had opened up the students’ eyes to what is possible.
He said many don’t realise how much goes into the day-to-day running of the club and everything else the club does.
“We’ve got two SEDA students with us at the moment,” he said.
“They have a bit of continuity of normally being at the club every week. They help out in preparing the rooms before training and making sure all the equipment is there.
“They unpack after an away game and they’ve been involved in the community stuff and school holiday programs with the disability sport and rec guys.
“It’s good for them to experience it all. It’s not just rocking up and training.”
MacInnes said part of the experience was helping the SEDA students discover their strengths.
The club has also introduced work experience. Two boys from Manors Lakes Secondary College recently spent a week at the club.
“We were able to get them to come out and help with stats on match day,” he said.
“A few days later we were short on staff for the behind the goals camera, so we approached them and got them to do some meaningful work for us.
“There was an opportunity there and they took it.”
The two work experience students, Liam and Kai, both said they took a lot out of the opportunity.
“Something I have gained from this experience at the club was how the coaching team planned their lineup, strong points and weaknesses of the opposing team, how to improve their game and more during the week to try and get the four points,” Liam said.
“I also learnt how much work the medical staff, nutritionists and other key staff do. On the other side of the work done at the club, I saw how much is done to get the community involved.“
Kai added, “I am considering taking up a similar occupation because work experience has helped me understand and break down what jobs are there and allowed me to compare them to my strengths and weaknesses.”
Both boys was thrilled with the career and pathway advice that was offered.
MacInnes said these opportunities benefited both the students and the club.
