How many people does it take to produce a footballer?
A team of coaches is the obvious one. Player welfare staff is another. And of course, parents play a huge part.
Indeed, there are many dozens of people who work behind the scenes at the West Coast Eagles, all dedicated to helping young footballers become the best they can be.
Away from club headquarters, a group of passionate supporters are doing their bit in their very own homes.
When West Coast drafts an interstate player, each new recruit is faced with an enormous transition.
There’s not just the huge step-up in football to adapt to; the young players also have to come to terms with moving to an unfamiliar city, far from their family and friends.
To make that process a little easier, the Eagles call on a group of host families, who open their hearts and homes to these budding footballers, taking on a variety of roles including, but not limited to, personal chef, launderer, counsellor and tour guide.
John and Sherryl Gardiner have supported the club in this capacity since 2004, hosting Matt Rosa, Mitch Brown, Beau Wilkes, Gerrick Weedon and the late Michael Mascoulis.
They work towards providing a comfortable and supportive environment for the players to enable them to concentrate on their football development.
This year, they have welcomed 18-year-old Liam Duggan and the bond has been instant.
Sherryl hopes it will turn into a lifelong friendship, as she has experienced with all her players, but particularly Matt and Mitch.
“We’re really, really close to Matt and Mitch,” Sherryl said.
“They practically live here. They eat here a lot, even though one’s married and one gets married on New Year’s Eve.
“John does everything for them. He’s like their maintenance man and helps out with a lot of stuff they can’t do, so he’s sort of the go-to guy for them, for any manly things.
“I’ve also become very attached to the two girls in Hayley [Rosa] and Shae [Bolton]. We have a really close relationship and special bond.”
The Gardiners have also formed a strong network with their fellow host parents and they call on each other to support them through any issues that may crop up.
Sherryl reveals that most of the problems focus on the change in diet, which can take some getting used to for the young players who still want Coco Pops for breakfast instead of muesli.
For any concern that can’t be resolved by the other host families, the Gardiners turn to the club’s player services manager, Ian “Serge” Miller.
“Serge is incredible. Absolutely incredible,” Sherryl said.
“I don’t know how the guy does it. He never loses his sense of humour. You can ring him 24/7, he’s the same person and ready to offer you advice as soon as he can.
“And if it’s a little bit out of his realm, he will address it with the parents. He is wonderful.”
Sherryl says the role of a host parent can be difficult to define and something that takes a bit of getting used to for some player parents, but she and her husband work hard to reassure them from day one.
“You have to get on side with the parents to let them know that their son’s going to be looked after,” Sherryl said.
“You show them that the home he’s coming into is friendly and accessible.
“But we also make it clear that we’re not stealing their son.
“It’s a very fine line there and I think we’ve got that down pat.”
