Two-time premiership player Kym Koster’s life came to a crossroads when his AFL career ended.

Koster played 95 games for Adelaide in five seasons, including back-to-back flags, before being delisted at the end of 2000.

The hard-working half-forward went back and played in the SANFL but knew that would not be enough to pay the bills, especially with two young sons.

The 48-year-old said he had tried many different career paths during the past two decades.

“I’ve actually done a lot of things (since retiring),” Koster told AFC media.

“When you leave footy, I think most people really struggle when they come out of the professional environment.

“When I did finish playing I obviously needed a job, so I was actually playing some SANFL footy with South Adelaide and then Glenelg.

“I then started a cleaning company.

“I also worked for a few different companies - one was Adelaide Packaging Supplies and then I worked for AFL SportsReady for a little while doing some traineeships.

“Then I worked for a company called Chemform which was a West Australian-based company selling chemicals and I did that for quite a few years.”

During his time working in various fields, Koster was also coaching Adelaide Footy League club Sacred Heart Old Collegians, as well as developing a smart phone app.

The app was called Stats Amazing and was aimed at allowing parents and young athletes to keep track of their stats in school and club sport.

“I thought it (the app) was a great idea,” Koster said.

“It made some money and that was enough to pay some of the developers back, but things didn’t end well with the developers.

“It was an experience.

“I’m always thinking of all different ideas. I think I’m a bit of an entrepreneur when it comes to ideas but they never come to fruition.”

Coaching SHOC came after an agreement at a pub over a beer with club officials.

“I coached SHOC in 2006 and 2007,” Koster said.

“I got sucked into doing it, actually.

“Simon Tregenza was actually coaching (SHOC) before I was and they were in division three… they were playing in a grand final and the week before, the guys asked if I’d be interested in coaching (the next year).

“I said, ‘If they win the grand final definitely not, if they don’t, I’m a chance’ - they held me to that and the beer coaster I signed it on, so I ended up giving it a go.”

Despite the many career changes, Koster has been working at Fleurieu Milk Company for the past four years, after linking up with two former teammates.

He also owns a corporate and commercial cleaning business, Alchemy, predominantly run by his wife Sarah. 

Koster, who is a father of four - to Josh, 23, and William, 20, Jed, 10, and Avy, 8 - says he is content with the work he is doing now.

“I am a business development manager, I’ve got some clients I look after (with Fleurieu Milk Company),” Koster said.

“I started there four years ago and Clay Sampson is my boss and a really good friend of mine who also played at the footy Club.

“Tony Modra is also employed by the company.

“I grew up on a dairy farm, which I would never do in my whole life, so it’s quite bizarre going back nearly a full circle.

“But I would never go back and milk cows.”

Koster said his AFL career ended sooner than he had hoped after arriving at the Crows following 38 games in two seasons at Footscray (Western Bulldogs).

But he said he held fond memories of his time at West Lakes and still supported the Crows.

“I still believed I had something to offer and you still hold onto that dream of getting put back into the AFL,” Koster said.

“I loved the Bulldogs (but) looking back, I was lucky enough to come home and play in two premierships.

“My boss Clay Sampson and I talk about it all the time - we are both pretty lucky to have had that opportunity.

“Those memories are amazing. 

“I do have a very soft spot for the Bulldogs because they gave me an opportunity.

“But my heart lies with the Adelaide Footy Club.”

As for that famous left-foot lace-out kick to Darren Jarman in the 1997 grand final? Koster said: “Picking the ball up, I look at that moment and it’s one of those things that I don’t even know why I did it.”

“I could’ve kicked it on my right foot and it but I suppose at the end of the day, I hit it perfectly, it came off perfectly and I couldn’t have asked for it to be any better.”