Chasing AFL Dreams In Rugby Heartland.
Episode: #016.
Jay Lewis.Athlete: Australian Rules Football (AFL)
Growing up on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australian rules football was never the obvious pathway. Rugby league dominated the culture, soccer filled the fields, and hardly anyone recognised the oval shaped AFL ball in Jay Lewis’ hands. But at 10 years old, Jay picked up an Aussie rules footy — and never put it down.
By 15, Jay was on scholarship with the Sydney Swans, training alongside icons like Adam Goodes and Barry Hall. He was juggling school with captain’s runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG Stadium), navigating a world where almost no one in his life understood the journey he was on.
Across 265 senior games played across two Australian states, Jay learned what it really takes to chase a dream in a place where the dream didn’t exist. Today, he is the director of Elite Foot Care on the Sunshine Coast, carrying the resilience and discipline forged in football into business and community.
In this episode, Jay opens up about:
• Breaking into AFL pathways in a rugby league heartland
• The pressure, isolation and expectations placed on young athletes
• What it was like training with the Swans during a history making era
• When football shifted from passion to pressure
• Rediscovering joy through hometown clubs and community
• Transition, identity and mental wellbeing after elite pathways
• Building a successful business using lessons learned in sport
You don’t need to understand AFL to connect with this story. It is about courage, identity, belonging and backing yourself even when the odds are stacked.
🎧 Hit play to hear Jay’s journey from a makeshift farm footy oval to a professional club environment and into life beyond sport.
Stream Episode. 48:18mins.
