Hawthorn Football Club played host to 40 year 10 students from Mornington Secondary College and Dandenong High School on Wednesday 25 May for an “Industry Tour Day” at Waverley Park in collaboration with the Beacon Foundation.

The Hawks' Community Partner - the Beacon Foundation - is heavily focused on reducing youth unemployment rates and breaking the cycle of unemployment, and does so by creating various programs to assist with life skills and to help students find work and continue studying past year 12.

To open the day, the students were given a brief presentation on the organisational structure of the Club, which gave them a greater understanding of the depth of the business and the numerous career paths available in a club-based workplace.

Following the presentation, five staff members from various departments spoke to the students about why they love their job and what it took for them to get to where they are today.

The students were faced with real life stories of staff members who overcame hurdles in their lives to become successful in their current positions.

The students were then taken on a tour of the Waverley Park facility and were treated to an engaging presentation on goal-setting driven by Hawthorn’s Head of Coaching and Development, Chris Fagan, who then took the students onto the ground for a kick of the footy.

The day was wrapped up with a session of personal perspective delivered by two staff members who have faced significant obstacles in their lives.

 It was an eye-opener for the students to see that when life does not always go to plan, with perseverance, goals can still be achieved.

The Club is proud to support the Beacon Foundation in its growth and development of students.

Find out more about the Hawks' relationship with the Beacon Foundation.


Hawks staff share stories with the students in the warm-up area.


The students have a kick on the oval at Waverley Park.