Behind the Dream | The Pathway Series - DRAFT EDITION

You've sat in the stands, driven to training, watched your child pour everything into their dream — and wondered what you're supposed to do with all the questions you've never quite known how to ask.

These events are for those questions.

Behind the Dream is a two-part program for families in the AFL and AFLW talent pathway:

• Part One is the map - a parent/guardian only event.

• Part Two is the build - designed for you to attend together - family & athlete.

A two-hour live panel event designed specifically for the parents/guardians of AFL / AFLW pathway athletes - especially those navigating the draft year. This is not a recruitment showcase. It's an honest, practical conversation with the people who've been through it — and the professionals who work inside the system every day. If your child is in a development squad, an academy, or a school program with a serious football pathway, this is built for you. The families who get the most from it are usually twelve months out, with a full year still ahead of them in which to plan.

On the night you'll hear from:

• Pathway athletes and their parents — drafted & not drafted — sharing what they wish they'd known

• A player manager — on how the process actually works & on how to protect your athlete's interests

• A talent pathway coach & recruiter — on what clubs actually look for

• A wellbeing practitioner — on managing pressure, identity, and life beyond football

Program:

• Inside the Journey — lived experience from athletes and families

• Inside the System — recruiters, coaches, and managers speak candidly about what really matters

• Myth vs Reality segment — tackling the most common misconceptions about the draft

• Open Q&A — There’ll be a card on your seat for anything you’d rather ask anonymously. Please use it. The questions people hesitate to ask out loud are usually the ones worth answering.

• Networking — Stay for a drink afterwards — the conversations in the room are half the value.

What you will leave with:

• Clarity — on what the journey is actually like - for Plan A and Plan B outcomes

• Connections — to a peer community and ongoing resources

• Calendar — the pathway calendar - the next twelve months mapped on a single page

Hosted by Katie Flockart, founder of Behind the Dream and director of Flock & Co — and a parent who has navigated the AFL/AFLW pathway three times over.

Brighton Grammar School

Monday 5 October 2026

6.30 pm – 8.30 pm

Cost: $50

Part One is capped at 25 families.

This event is for families who want to thrive towards the draft, not just survive it.

A one-day lived-experience event for AFL/AFLW pathway families. Across panels, breakouts, workshops and an open Q&A, we bring recently drafted athletes, parents, recruiters, coaches, player managers and wellbeing experts into one room — to share what the pathway is really like, and how to navigate it with clarity, confidence and life balance. Built for the families and players in the development and draft years.