Crows AFLW rookie and Olympian Becchara Palmer will lead the Club’s girls High Performance Squad as a mentor for its second season.

More than 40 girls aged between 15 and 18 years-old have been invited to take part this year and will benefit from the experience of Palmer who competed internationally as a professional beach volleyballer for more than a decade.  

After retiring from volleyball last year, Palmer was signed by Adelaide as a rookie for the 2018 AFLW season and has quickly and successfully transitioned to football, making an impact in the SANFLW in recent weeks where she lines up for Sturt.

Three of the 2017 high performance squad members were drafted to the AFLW, including Eloise Jones and Jess Allan, who have been impressive for the Crows this season, and Tait Mackrill who was picked up by Greater Western Sydney. Courtney Gum, the squad’s 2017 mentor, was also drafted to GWS.

The young footballers selected to be part of the 2018 squad will take part in monthly sessions across the next five months to prepare them for the demands and rigours of elite sport. The focus of the sessions is on physical and mental development, preparation and education.  

The young athletes in the squad have already had the opportunity to play in a curtain raiser for the Crows’ AFLW Round 1 clash with Brisbane at Norwood Oval.

Palmer said the program allowed the Crows to identify up-and-coming talent as well as allowing the young athletes to gain insight into the workings of the Club.

“The inaugural program was a great success and I’m delighted to be on board for the second year,” Palmer said.

“It’s exciting and rewarding to be able to share some of my experiences with the girls, show them how we train and prepare both physically and mentally and help them to progress to the next stage of their footy career.”