19 July 2026  |  4.00pm - 6.30pm
Register

What to Expect

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.

Behind the Dream: Draft Year Edition is a 2.5-hour live panel event designed specifically for AFL and AFLW pathway athletes and their families 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.

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

❋ On the night you'll hear from:

  • Pathway athletes and their parents — sharing what they wish they'd known

  • Player managers — on how to protect your athlete's interests

  • Talent pathway coaches — on what clubs actually look for

  • AFL Health & Wellbeing — on managing pressure, identity, and life beyond football

❋ Three panel discussions cover:

  • Inside the Journey — lived experience from athletes and families

  • Inside the System — recruiters, coaches, and managers speak candidly

  • Draft Year Essentials — the process, pathways, and how to protect wellbeing

❋ Myth versus Reality

A high-energy interactive segment where the moderator presents commonly held statements about the AFL pathway and each panellist responds with Myth, Reality or It Depends — then explains their reasoning. Designed to challenge assumptions, generate honest debate and deliver memorable, shareable takeaways.

❋ Open Q&A

Ask the questions you’ve never asked in a fully open and moderated audience Q&A session where athletes and parents can submit questions they feel uncomfortable asking elsewhere.

Anonymous question cards are distributed on arrival. All panel members participate.

While nobody can control the outcome, every family deserves the opportunity to be better prepared for the journey ahead.

Run of Show

3.30pm

Registration & light refreshments

4.00pm

Welcome

4.10pm
4.50pm

Break

5.00pm

Panel 2 - Inside the System

5.30pm

Break

5.45pm

Myths versus Reality + Open Q&A

Panel 1 - Inside the Journey

6.00pm

Networking & Close

  • For every athlete chasing the AFL or AFLW dream, there is a family navigating the journey alongside them. Behind the Dream is about helping players and families navigate the journey with greater clarity, confidence and balance — regardless of where the pathway ultimately leads.

    Katie Flockart

    Founder, Behind the Dream

Limited spots. Register Now.

Register