Jarman and McLeod were among the names at training on Tuesday as the Crows kicked off day one of the new Father Son Academy.
Stefan Jarman, son of inaugural squad member Andrew, and Connor McLeod, the eldest child of Club games record holder Andrew, were officially inducted into the Academy on Tuesday morning, being presented with personalised t-shirts and shorts and introduced to coach Brenton Sanderson and skipper Nathan van Berlo.
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Stefan Jarman, 18, in front of father Andrew's former locker
Stefan, who plays in the Under-18s at North Adelaide, and Connor were joined at West Lakes by the sons of former Sturt and West-Torrens midfielder Darryl, who only heard about the Father Son Academy on radio last week.
Zac Hart, son of dual-premiership player Ben, is also an Academy member and will make the trip to Adelaide from Melbourne, where his family recently located in order for Ben to continue his assistant coaching career at Collingwood, in the next school holidays.
The Club is in the process of verifying Jesse and Bailey Smith’s eligibility under the AFL’s complex Father Son rules, but Darryl Smith said his sons had jumped at the opportunity to be part of the program.
“I was listening to the FIVEaa Sports Show and they were talking about the Father Son Academy. Then a friend rang me and said, ‘are you aware your sons are probably part of that [eligible group]?’ Smith told afc.com.au.
“I called (Crows general manager of football operations) Phil Harper and said, ‘Look, I played 200 games for Sturt and West Torrens. Do I qualify?’
“Phil said, ‘you probably do’, because we worked out I finished in 1990 when the rule ended.
“Both my boys play for PHOS Camden and just love their footy.
“When we found out [they might be eligible] the first thing they did was put the cricket gear in the shed and the footballs were back out.
“They were out the front kicking the football for three hours and I had to bring them inside because they were getting that tired and hot.
“They can’t get the smiles off their faces.”
The four ‘sons’, aged between nine and 18, were given a tour of the Crows facilities before joining in a warm-up and basic skills session with the team.
Connor McLeod, 12, and the Smith brothers
Andrew McLeod is no stranger to West Lakes, having recently returned to Adelaide in a part-time development role, but he said the Father Son Academy was a great way for other past players and their children to stay involved with the Club.
“Most of these kids would’ve grown up supporting the Crows, so it’s nice to be invited back especially for someone like Connor, whose dad played here for so long,” McLeod said.
“It’s another way of building some more history around the Club because we’re still fairly young.
“Moving forward, I think it’s exciting and if the Club gets one or two players out of it, it’s a bonus.”
Bailey Smith, 9, at training
The boys will return to West Lakes another three times during the season when they will participate in physical testing and be involved in a game-day experience in the lead-up to the Crows clash with Richmond in round 14.
Development coach Tate Kaesler, who heads up the Academy, said he was optimistic the initiative would expand to include more prospective Father-Son recruits in the near future.
“We thought the Academy was really important for us as a Club, for our past players and for the kids, who are still eligible to be taken as Father-Son selections,” Kaesler said.
“In five years’ time, we’re going to have a lot more players, who have played 100 games for the Club, with sons who qualify under the Father-Son rule, so hopefully the Academy will keep building.
“We’re not here to force the kids to play AFL footy.
“We just want to build that relationship between the Club and the past players and their kids again.
“It’s a great opportunity for the kids to be able to come out and rub shoulders with AFL stars at our Club.
“They were out there today having a kick and a catch and getting high-fives.
“The kids have had a ball and that’s what it’s all about.”
