At any level, in any code, some sports men and women can to do things others simply can’t. It could be a spectacular mark, crashing the try-line or shooting a pressure goal. Adam Baird has that magic, and he saves his best for the big stage. At 25 Baird has already won 4 senior premierships for his local AFL club Golden Square.
But sometimes sporting ability can mask reality, and the better the Saturday afternoon performance, the more reluctant the club can be to intervene when problems arise off the field. But not at Golden Square. In fact, it was the club which identified that its star player had a problem.
“I come to footy and I had a fair few beers the Friday night and he(the club coach)said have you been drinking last night? I couldn’t lie to him – I said ya. It was pretty tough – not the best feeling I have had,” Adam Baird says.
Baird felt ashamed, but says a relationship breakdown led him to what he now describes as his “dark times,” and concedes that without intervention things could have gotten a lot worse.
“Just wasn't coping with it - could of ended up really bad like real bad depression coulda come into play,” Baird says of that time.
Fortunately, Golden Sqaure had appointed an accredited Sports Chaplain to help with players who were struggling off the park, and Blair was promptly introduced to 64-year old Bruce Claridge. The pair struck a bond, and after several meetings over many months, Claridge was able to help Baird navigate the personal issues.
“Just wasn't coping with it - could of ended up really bad like real bad depression coulda come into play ,” Baird says of that time." Adam Baird (SBS) Source: SBS
Himself a former Victorian schoolboy and Golden Square premiership player, Claridge says the voluntary role combines his passions – football clubs and helping people.
“It's like you're a net in a trapeze artist's performance where you're just hanging around and hopefully just watching the performance and I love being at the footy - but sometimes someone falls you gotta catch them,” Claridge explains.
Sports Chaplains are now in approximately 800 clubs around the country, but Cam Butler from Sports Chaplaincy Australia says demand significantly outstrips supply, with a waiting list of no less than 5000 clubs. He says it signals a shift in culture, where clubs are taking ownership of pastoral care and off-field issues.
“A lot of sports clubs are under a lot of pressure to get their people stuff right and look after their members well and support them... we’re here together let’s look out for one another not just in the good times not just in winning on the ground but also what’s happening in our lives,” he says.
All Chaplains attend an accreditation course, and according to Butler often simply direct those they’re meeting to professional help or services. While Christianity underpins the concept, he says religion is rarely, if ever, discussed.
“It's not about religion for us even though our people are people who provide pastoral care their focus is grace and mercy,” he said.
Adam Baird is now a qualified carpenter and finishing off a gruelling pre-season at Golden Square. He has a fifth premiership flag in his sights and says he still catches up with Bruce Claridge from time-to-time.
“Top bloke good bloke... just someone to talk to someone to ask how you goin? How you been? Just to get through some tough times.”
