Harvey Norman NSW Sky Blues forward Millie Boyle invited 20 special guests to the walls of the Ignite HQ Center of Excellence this week to see what life is like for a NSW player.
All of this was part of the Dally M Medal winner’s new workshop program ‘Game Changer’, aimed at helping people with disabilities gain new skills and an understanding of what lies ahead in the job market.
The program is aimed at NDIS participants with a passion for rugby league to boost their confidence, build social connections and perhaps get them thinking about a career in the sporting industry.
“It started because I realized there wasn’t really anything in this area for people with disabilities who finished school in terms of educational programs to prepare them for a job,” Boyle said.
“We’re trying to provide some strategies and tools to help them find their way into society, into the community.”
And what better way to start than at the top of the rugby league tree. Boyle showed them around the gymnasium, locker room, recreation pools and rehabilitation areas used by both the Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues and the Harvey Norman NSW Sky Blues.
She’s even walked them through push-ups, lunges, and other warm-up routines.
Then they were all out on the training field at the Ignite HQ Center of Excellence doing passing, running, and kicking drills.
The group even got an exclusive tour of the “Blues Tunnel”; an underground path used by NSW players to get to Accor Stadium from their dressing room at the Ignite HQ Center.
Back in the classroom — or more specifically, the Brad Fittler Lounge — Boyle had participants interview each other about their favorite teams, players, likes, and dislikes.
They wrote down their goals and then stood up to tell the whole group where they might find themselves one day.
“More school-age children attended today’s workshop, and my focus was on giving them all a chance to be seen, heard, and have fun for themselves,” Boyle said.
“Sometimes they are excluded or marginalized in the mainstream classes or in their own social circle.
“Today was all about them – they had to stand up and speak and tell everyone their goals.”
Boyle, whose younger sister Hanna has Down Syndrome, and her co-organisers, the Trainer Group, have begun contacting NRL clubs to host the day-long workshops – the Canberra Raiders have already hosted one.
“I’ve always volunteered, worked or lived in the disability field, and I keep coming back to it because it’s so rewarding,” Boyle said.
“It’s a passion for me.
“I learn from the participants, from the parents or carers. I have a family member with a disability so I know how important it is for the kids to feel included and invested in something.”
Dianna Bray and her son Aiden live in Moss Vale but are associated with the Mittagong Junior Lions.
“I’m hoping[Workshop]will open up some opportunities for him,” Bray said.
“Let him hear and see what might be out there for him in terms of work and school.
“I want him to know and feel that he is just as capable as anyone to play and get involved, to enter the workforce and to live the life he wants to live.”
Aiden’s father, Mark Vater, sets up the scoreboard and ground kit before the weekend games, Dianna is team manager for the U15s and Aiden plays in the back row.
“He loves rugby league and the guys on his team are really welcoming and inclusive,” she said.
“Most of them don’t even know he has autism.
“Aiden does a lot of specialized things like occupational therapy, speech therapy. But when he plays football, he’s just one of the boys.”
Aiden is also doing some refereeing courses and has started refereeing Group Six games.
“The great thing about it is that it’s a job – you work and you have to be committed to people and the role.”
For information on Boyle’s next Game Changer workshops please contact: [email protected].