Brad Sheppard joins the team as a Kimberley spirit coach
Brad Sheppard instructing a Kimberley Spirit Football Program Hub training session in Broome.
Ex-West Coast 216 game defender Brad Sheppard has joined Garnduwa in a coaching capacity to support our Kimberley Spirit Football Program. We sat down with Brad to learn about his coaching journey and what he hopes to pass on to the next generation of Kimberley footballers.
Why join the Kimberley Spirit Football Program?
“Being up in Broome this year I’ve gotten to know the landscape and how much footy means to the kids and the community. I've seen a lot of talented kids play footy throughout the years, so I was itching to get involved with the program which emphasizes and highlights a lot of talent that the Kimberley has. I also wanted to help out and pass on my knowledge. Hopefully, I can impart a little bit, or inspire someone to one day play AFL footy”
Ex-West Coast Defender Brad Sheppard at Garnduwa’s Kimberley Spirit Football Program training in Broome.
What’s your main focus as a Kimberley Spirit Coach?
“ That you just have to have fun. I think in all sports that if you don’t enjoy what you are doing then you are never going to get the best out of yourself. So it’s really about making fun environments. Environments where everyone can thrive and be themselves, but also learn some new skills along the way”
Kimberley Spirit Football Program Broome Hub training.
Garnduwa’s core focus is the development of remote communities. Has that organisational mission motivated you to get involved with our work?
“For me being a Perth guy I saw the pathways that were accessible to me as a young person coming through the system. Then coming up here, as someone who has played the game I feel there’s almost a responsibility to give back and help communities.
Whether it’s getting kids to school or just showing them that sport and their skill set is always noticed. Helping to provide a platform and opportunities to them and also just being a friendly face, to be able to do that is about building relationships, and hopefully in my time at Garnduwa I can get out to those communities and hear their stories and tell them about my pathway and story and develop a relationship.
That would be something that I would love to be able to implement”
Beyond the athletic development, what are the impacts of participating in a development program like the Kimberley Spirit Football Program?
“Being a part of a squad, which is a talented squad, it’s a great way to improve your life skills through teamwork, and also through facing challenges, it’s not an easy sport. In sport, there are a lot of ups and downs but also a lot of life lessons to be learnt. Discipline also becomes a focus, footy can be quite gruelling so you have to develop discipline away from the training track. As we preach to them eating healthy, getting good sleep and hydration are really critical, particularly for us in the Kimberley”