Player Perspective – Ian RichardsonMonday, April 22, 2013 - 4:00 PM - by Ian Richardson

THE WAFL website will be publishing columns from players throughout the 2013 season taking a look at the lives of WAFL footballers, and what it takes on and off the field to be a successful player and also build a life outside the game. This week it's dual Claremont premiership forward, fairest and best winner and Simpson Medallist Ian Richardson.

Over the past 10 years I have dedicated a lot of time to playing WAFL football and I have loved it. I would be lying if I said I never get tired of the high level of commitment required but winning the last two premierships has made it all worthwhile.

I started off in the development squads at Claremont and have worked up through the colts, reserves and finally to league level. Playing at this level is difficult because as we are not playing at a professional level we all have work or study commitments that take up most of our time and leave us with very little time to focus on training and extra sessions. Once you add to this finding time for your family and friends you are left with basically no spare time.

Three points I have learnt are critical to succeeding at WAFL level are time management, keeping it fresh and commitment. Focusing on these have not only helped my footy but also my work and all aspects of life.

It is integral to manage your time to play quality WAFL football, you need to put in a lot of hours during the pre-season and season to make sure your body is prepared, but after putting in a 10-hour day at work, the gym isn’t always the most appealing place to go each night. I have a routine where I work as hard as I can and get as much work done as possible while I’m at the club and then get out of there, otherwise your whole life is work and footy.

When the pre-season starts in November and finals finish in September you seem to spend your whole life at the club. The main thing that gets me through is knowing that there is a great bunch of blokes down at the club and it is a lot more fun down there than plugging away in the office or on a construction site.

This leads me to the next important part of getting the most out of myself; 'Keeping it fresh'. Again this is not just for my footy, but I like to seek out different training methods and ways to improve instead of doing bench press and chin ups at the gym, 400m sprints around a track and set shots and ground balls on the field every time. You need to change it up and find what works best for you or you will lose your mind doing the same thing day in, day out. So I try different fitness exercises and skill drills at different locations and make sure I get enough time away from it all as well.

The final point to success I think is 'Commitment'. I have played with a lot of talented players who have not committed enough time to their footy who have dropped out or played at a lower level and I know that a lot of them regret it. I do respect all the blokes at WAFL level who have the commitment to be a good WAFL player. I also respect a lot of the reserves players who put in the same amount of time and don’t get the accolades or match payments but they are challenging themselves to make it at this level. It is very satisfying when you try and help a bloke who is battling away in the twos who commits himself and works hard and then see them make their league debut and play good footy.

You know who the hardest workers are at your club are and it is no surprise they are the players who succeed. It is also good to challenge yourself against the best opposition players and see where you sit and what you need to improve on.

I am no different to most players that will tell you their favourite part of football is having a beer with the lads afterwards. My best mates are at the club so you look forward to any chance to stir them up. And getting to know the new players each year whether they are from our south west region, the Kimberley zone or Perth there have been some ripper blokes come through Claremont and that is what has made my time so enjoyable and has also been a critical part of our success. Each player enjoys playing for each other and will work that extra bit harder to get a win.

The other aspect I love about WAFL footy is the family feel of it all. Each club has some great volunteers that put in a lot of hours and don’t get the recognition they deserve. At Claremont we have the Past Players group that clean up and help where ever they can and the Ladies Committee that cooks all the food. They raise a lot of money for the club and save the club a lot of money as there is not much of that going around the WAFL. Getting to know these guys as well as all the family members who love the club and see them all smiling after we get a win is really satisfying. These are the people that will keep each club ticking over and see the competition succeeding in the future so it is very important to get to know them and be respectful of everything they do for your club.