Next Goal Program
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Kangaroos Andrew Swallow uses the Next Goal program to broaden his skills and break up the week of training.
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Daniel Southern undertook work placement at the Melbourne Zoo, and now hosts wildlife and adventure tours in Egypt.
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Former Hawk Matthew Ball broke into the finance industry with the Next Goal program.
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Drew Petrie and Leigh Harding gained some law enforcement experience with Victoria Police.
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Simon Taylor undertakes work placement in the finance sector thanks to the Next Goal program.
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Richmond's David Gourdos handles a snake during his work placement.
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Will Thursfield has spent time leading fishing charter boats as part of his work experience.
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A joint initiative of the AFL Players' Association and AFL Sportsready.
The Next Goal program offers us, the players, an opportunity to combine practical work experience in a field that appeals to us as a potential career once we finish our playing career.
The flexibility of the program is essential in order for us to be able to fulfil the 20 days of employment over a twelve month period.
The program has been operating for 10 years now, and 156 players have completed the program. 41 players are currently undertaking placements across fields as diverse as finance, zoo keeping and landscape gardening to name just a few.
As committed players, many of us are sttil working out what career to pursue once we finish playing. The Next Goal program allows players the chance to experience what the working world has to offer whilst still playing. When our career does come to an end, the transition can be a smoother one as a result of the skills developed through the Next Coach program.
There are many great examples of former players who have benefitted from this program. Daniel Southern and Chris Heffernan are two such cases that were highlighted at the recent Next Goal 10th anniversary breakfast. The breakfast was attended by many players who have benefitted from the program over the years and in many cases are now employed by those that sponsored them in the beginning.
The Next Goal experience has led to Southern now organising travel tours in Egypt and the broader Middle East region, while for Heffernan it has enabled him to break into the finance industry, including recent years on Wall Street in New York at the time of the global financial crisis.
With an AFL career being such a small portion of our working lives, the Next Goal program is an opportunity too good to ignore. The chance to develop skills and gain insights into areas that will be critical for life after football is invaluable.
