IT was a chance conversation in a local RSL that led Colin Wardrop to the South Gawler Football Club, and after a year as the juniors’ skills coach, he has taken the reins as head coach of the senior women.
Wardrop has one of the longest and most unique footballing journeys around after being drafted as a youngster to Fitzroy, before spending most of his footballing prime playing and coaching with the armed forces teams after being called up for national service in 1970.
He played with Diamond Creek in Victoria, the Riverina Football League in Wagga, as well as a stint in Queensland before landing in South Australia and playing with the SA Police team, Flinders Park Football Club and many more stops along the way.
“I moved up this way to be closer to my kids and grandkids, and I was at the local RSL when I met Dale who is the vice president of the South Gawler Football Club,” he said.
“Football is my passion, so we hit it off and after a few chats I mentioned if he ever needed someone to come down and teach the kids some of the skills side of the game that it’d be my pleasure.
“At some point the opening came up with the senior women and I was asked if I’d be interested, so I put in an application and went through the proper channels and I was pretty chuffed to get it, to be honest.”
Wardrop said from his extensive experience with the game he has formed the opinion that the mental side of the game is something that is grossly under-addressed, and it’s a key to what he will try and teach his group.
“When I was in Western Australia I was lucky enough to be able to do a little bit of work with a few Fremantle Dockers on the psychological part of the game,” he said.
“Obviously the body is important and you need to be in shape to be able to properly use all your skills at a high level, but that stuff is only 30 per cent of the game to me.
“The rest of it is all between the ears – the aggression, the heart, the self-belief, the drive – if you don’t have that stuff taken care of, I don’t care how good you are at kicking the ball.”
Wardrop has taken a few breaks from football at different parts of his life, but said country footy always pulls him back in.
“Even when I wasn’t playing or coaching, I’d always still go and watch country football whenever I was living in the country, because there’s something about it that’s very unique,” he said.
“These clubs have such rich histories and such solid foundations, and they draw in people from all walks of life to a place they can be accepted into a kind of community, or family.
“You’re never too old to get involved – whether you’re playing, coaching, or helping, we’re all here to achieve one goal, and that’s to play football.”