By Nicholas Creely
Simon Black may best be remembered as the silky moving Brisbane Lion midfielder who went on to become one of the greatest players of the modern era.
Black now devotes his time to his prestigious Simon Black Football Academy after resigning as Assistant Coach for the Brisbane Lions at the end of 2016 to focus on the expansion of his academy product.
On Monday 12 September, Black was on hand at the Beletti Restaurant Cafe Bar in Dandenong to launch his new academy in the Dandenong region with the academies in Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland already a raging success among young people.
Speaking at the official launch, Black said he was thrilled with the progress of his academies and bringing one into a football heartland of Dandenong.
“It’s obviously really exciting to be able to bring an academy into Dandenong.
“We know the importance of education and knowing that footy doesn’t last forever, unless you’re Boomer Harvey and get to play to 39.
“We know that the game is extremely loved out in Dandenong and I know a lot of players from the Lions have come through this area,” Black said.
Black stressed the importance of education, combined with football to give students the best possible chance to build a satisfying career.
“The education elements have obviously been fantastic as well.
“It’s been terrific and, to be honest, the favourite part of the program is the personal growth of the students,” Black added.
The Simon Black Academy has built a close working relationship with the Dandenong Stingrays, in particular with Stingrays Regional Talent Manager Mark Wheeler who is excited about the academy.
“Our zone is a very rich football zone, with a lot of young men and women that have been given the opportunity to play sport down here.
“The launch of this program will help our young males and females coming through. There’s some exciting times coming out of Shepley oval,” Wheeler said.
The Director of Victoria at the Simon Black Academy Brett Hardiman said it is a major coup for the area and will drive football in all areas and levels of competition.
“The academy is for young men and women who have completed secondary school and looking to get a further education.
“For us the education is critical. Football does not last forever and education opens up doors.
“We want to create men and women who will drive football at club level and even AFL, VFL level into the future,” Hardiman said.
Past AFL players David Wojcinski, who was a triple premiership player at Geelong, was also present at the launch along with former Hawk and Pie Clinton Young who have both got a heavy involvement in coaching in the respective Victorian academies in Melbourne and Geelong.
Ben McGee of the Simon Black Academy said that the program could be a massive opportunity for the Dandenong youth and lauded its professionalism and possibility for engagement in sport and education.
“The benefits for our Dandenong youth is that it’s an opportunity for them to be engaged in a sport, and using the vehicle of Australian Rules Football to offer further engagement in their community.
“Whether it’s playing at a local football club, coaching at a junior football club, we want to see our product, our boys and girls, be able to use the experience of being in the Simon Black Academy to go out and obviously engage them further as young people,” McGee said.
The Simon Black Academy is open to students who are 16 years and older who have left high school and are interested in completing further study while pursuing their passion for football.
Through the duration of the 12-month, four-day-a-week program, students will receive a range of different accreditations to help them along their journey.
For more details call 1300 855 117.
