Mrs Hale

[liz]

She said no one from the club had told her when Hale dropped out of his university course after one semester because second semester exams clashed with the Kangaroos' end-of-season trip

Does she not think that maybe it was up to her son to tell her things like that? And if he wants to spend his spare time playing Playstation, there's only so much the club can do about it.

I have some sympathy with her angst in respect of the stigma surrounding this gambling issue, but you have to wonder how much clubs are really expected to do for these "children".

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2007/02/20/1171733764047.html

[Margie]

Re: Mrs Hale

It does seem strange that her son didn't tell her he had stopped going to university. Even if he lives a long way from his mother, you'd think they would be in regular contact.

I can see her point about bringing kids into the system at such a young age - in a way respective clubs need to be surrogate parents. I think the Swans have a good set-up in this regard, perhaps due to the fact many of our young players have come from interstate.

[Sanecow]

Roos reckons that the babies need to be babied.

"Instead of working or studying when they are not playing and training, too many of our pro footballers fill in their time playing Xbox or PlayStation. I think you've got to work with players to give them other things to do outside of footy and prepare them for life after their playing days."

Source

Please adjust your opinions to conform.

[Industrial Fan]

It's like the old "how many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb".

[giant]

I'll jump on board the Ma Hale/Roosy bandwagon. Fine for the older players to take care of their lives but for a 17 yo with no family support structure nearby, the clubs simply have to fulfil that role. Whether they like it or not, they are responsible for more than the kids' physical and football wellbeing and they need to provide them with the skills and tools to make wise decisions for themselves.

And I don't think this is one of those things where the AFL should be shrugging its shoulders and hoping that the clubs are motivated and finanically resourced enough to get it right. There should be a learning & development officer at all the clubs and a real framework for providing this sort of support to all players that need it (young or "old").

That Roosy, he's a bloody genius.

[dimelb]

Of course DH should have told his mum what he was doing - and his dad for that matter. There may have been a chance to work out other possibilities.
A lot of kids at 17 have no idea where they are headed, but to drop out of uni because it clashes with the end of season trip is the act of a dill. And was there no-one else at the club who was or had been in the same situation?
This is, among other things, an issue of the club culture. To have someone available (not necessarily a salaried club employee) as a resource person with a brief to have an eye on education and work training is IMO a necessity, and merely fulfilling a responsibility; it is not babying. To do otherwise is to use players, not to foster their welfare. This is especially the case with those on the rookie list.

[giant]

Originally posted by dimelb
A lot of kids at 17 have no idea where they are headed, but to drop out of uni because it clashes with the end of season trip is the act of a dill.

Of course, unless there is significant peer or even club pressure for you to be there.

[Sanecow]

If every kid that dropped out of Uni had a story in the paper you'd need a special weekly lift out.

[reigning premier]

oh boo-@@@@ing-hoo.....

Sounds like Messer Hale has been fobbing off his mother for a while and now that it has all come to light... has had to produce some sort of excuse toot sweet!

IMHO, if he's lying and hiding things form his parents (as any 17/18 yr old boy will - Trust me, I was one once), that says more about the type of parenting that was done at the junior years. Not what hanging around his footy mates has taught him.

[j s]

The point is that the kid has been taken far away from home, given lots of money and spare time, and tempted by end of season trips to drop out of uni.

IMHO Mrs Hale is correct - the club should have been more involved in this major life choice. Maybe it was involved, the kid might have been influenced to believe that the end-of-season 'bonding' trip was more important than the exams, thus forcing his decision.

[reigning premier]

If you hav ethat grave concerns on your kid, don't let them go.

On the other hand, if he's man enough to be getting paid the bucks, living his own life, he's man enough to deal with his own issues.

Yes, this whole betting scandal is a crock but it will blow over. Stand up for yourself and take responsibility for your actions is the message!

[Sanecow]

Originally posted by j s
the kid might have been influenced to believe that the end-of-season 'bonding' trip was more important than the exams, thus forcing his decision.

If it was an Arts degree then he probably made the right decision.

[giant]

Originally posted by Sanecow
If it was an Arts degree then he probably made the right decision.

If it was an Arts degree he might have thought the end of season trip was just part of the course work.

[Xie Shan]

Originally posted by j s
The point is that the kid has been taken far away from home, given lots of money and spare time, and tempted by end of season trips to drop out of uni.

IMHO Mrs Hale is correct - the club should have been more involved in this major life choice. Maybe it was involved, the kid might have been influenced to believe that the end-of-season 'bonding' trip was more important than the exams, thus forcing his decision.

That sounds about right. Obviously not every club has the resources to allow "the babies to be babied", least of all the Kangaroos, but Mrs Hale's comments do suggest that young footballers should give more thought to developing life skills that they will need at the end of their footy careers. If this comes from the club, that's great, but the Kangaroos' attitude is a little disappointing, at least:

It was said by the club's recruiting officer that the young boys would be either working or furthering their education. This is so, so far from the actual truth.