After being named on the newly formed AFL Competition Committee earlier this week, Steven May is hoping he’ll be able to give a voice to Queensland football and fellow Indigenous players.
May is joined on the 12-person panel by Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, Sydney CEO Andrew Ireland and coaches Chris Fagan (Brisbane) and Brad Scott (North Melbourne) to name a few.
“It wasn’t something I thought I had a chance of getting on and having an impact but speaking with our chief executive Mark Evans and Travis Auld who’s at the AFL, they said it would be a great idea and great opportunity if I could join the panel,” May told SEN on Wednesday.
“I’m very humbled to be a part of it now and I’m hoping not only to learn a lot from those other guys but bring a different perspective and share a different angle on how I see things and also have a voice for Queensland football and Indigenous players.”
When asked about his reasoning for joining the committee, May said there was an opportunity to make a positive impact on the game.
“It’s a chance to help shape the game I think is the biggest one,” he said.
“We’re going to talk about all sorts of things with list management and competition structure.
“Usually when these sorts of rule changes and those sort of things come up, it’s with the AFLPA and we talk to the AFL about it.
“But to be working with some of the people from the AFL is a great opportunity to see how they see things and also to be able to give them a different perspective not only as a player who’s playing today but a player in a non-football state.”
Hailing from Darwin, May is the only current Indigenous player to captain an AFL side.
While May’s mother hails from Cork, Ireland, his father was an Indigenous man from WA.
The Gold Coast captain said he thought it was outstanding to have an indigenous player in the competition committee.
“We only make up a few percent of the population but we make up about 10% of the AFL,” May said.
“We do have a strong impact in the game, you know guys like Buddy Franklin and Cyril Rioli are why people come to the games most weeks.”
“Now to be able to have a voice and contribute I think is very powerful and I’m very lucky to be in this position.”
