LEADING a healthy lifestyle isn’t just something that comes hand in hand with being a professional footballer for Hawthorn’s Stephen Gilham.
The former Port Adelaide player is studying Health Promotion at Deakin University and is passionate about spreading the gospel of an active lifestyle, especially to kids.
“I first got involved when I was in Adelaide in a community youth program which Port Adelaide ran,” Gilham says.
“What we did was go out to schools for a month at a time, and then go out there one day a week and promote an active lifestyle and try and get them on the right track and introduce them to healthy eating and what they should be doing exercise wise during the week.”
The 22-year-old says it’s an area he’s like to work in again.
“I’ll hopefully have a long career with football, but after that I’d like to go into schools and help young kids get on the right track with living a healthy lifestyle and everything that encompasses,” Gilham says.
“It’s a big issue in Australia and right around the world at the moment. Kids are struggling with that sort of stuff so if I could help them a little bit that would be great.”
The full-back, who is originally from Melbourne, has enjoyed being back home since his arrival at Waverley Park.
“It was great to get back home,” he said.
“I spent three years in Adelaide and I learnt a lot over there but to get back home to my friends and family and to start my next football journey at Hawthorn has been great and it’s been a perfect fit. Hopefully they like having me here and I can stay for a lot of years to come.”
The move was made even easier by the presence of some of his former Power colleagues.
“Alastair (Clarkson) was assistant coach there for two years so that’s been a great benefit. Also I played with Damien Harwick who’s now as assistant coach and also Andrew Russell who’s coaching at Hawthorn now. I also played a year with Brent Guerra over there too,” Gilham says.
“There’s quite a few Port people who’ve come back to Hawthorn so it’s great for us all to reunite.”
After starting last season on the rookie list, only to be elevated to the seniors for the last four matches of the year, Gilham is delighted to be getting some continuity into his footy.
“It’s just good to be on the ground and stringing seven games together so far,” he said.“It’s the most I’ve ever played consecutively so I’m learning a lot every week, but just been able to get experiences every match and being able to put that in place for the following week has been of great benefit for me.”
