Eddie Hocking’s return to the Adelaide Football Club has been more rewarding than he had imagined.

Hocking, Adelaide’s first Indigenous player and one of the Club’s original cult heroes, officially took up a role with the Crows on the administration side two years ago helping Indigenous youth.

Working alongside great friend Andrew McLeod and his wife Rachael, he is one of two project officers who deliver the Ready Set Crow program which provides ongoing support to secondary school students from the APY Lands and Far West region.

The program, one of a suite of Indigenous programs delivered through the Club, is a partnership with the Australian Government’s Remote School Attendance Strategy and sees Hocking provide intensive mentoring to students who have relocated to Wiltja Boarding to go to high school in Adelaide.

“We spend time with the boys and girls and talk about how they’re travelling at school, at Wiltja, we make sure that they’re settling in, check if there’s any issues and just let them know we’re here to support them,” Hocking said.

“We support them emotionally – it’s a long way from home and these kids can get homesick, they miss family. It’s an unusual environment and naturally some settle in much quicker than others.”

Hocking mentors students alongside fellow project officer Mark Mueller through Ready Set Crow and, together with the McLeods, the team also makes regular visits to the two regions to engage with kids and their families, encouraging them to continue their education.

“Each term we do a visit to the Far West Coast and APY Lands and encourage kids to come to Adelaide to have a short-term visit. From there, we provide support to help them return to Adelaide where there are often more educational opportunities,” Hocking said.

“When we go on our community visits they’re all excited to see us.

“Footy is a great way to bring people together and the APY Lands and Far West communities love their footy. They’re either Port or Crows – I reckon we’ve got more Crows supporters which is good!”

Hocking is also involved in the Future Leaders and Indigenous Youth Leadership programs which are run through the Club under the McLeod Centre of Excellence.

He said the Club has come a long way since his playing days – 27 years or so ago.

“The Club has certainly changed a lot – it’s a lot bigger, there’s a lot more people, and it has strong community programs in place,” Hocking said.

“Back when I was playing it was just a couple of Atco huts as administration offices so it’s fantastic to see how much it has developed.

“It’s great to be back part of the footy club environment while also working closely with Indigenous kids from across SA – it’s very rewarding.”

The Club’s Indigenous work tailors programs to meet student needs through each stage of their high school education. It encompasses the McLeod Challenge, Indigenous Youth Leadership, Future Leaders, and Ready Set Crow programs.

Find out more about Adelaide’s Indigenous programs