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PLAYER PROFILE:
Brett Burton – Australian
Rules Football Player;
Adelaide Crows Football Club
B
rett Burton made his Australian Football League
(AFL) debut for the Adelaide Crows in 1999.
Standing at 1.85 m and weighing 83 kg, Brett is
a forward, even though he has been used in
defence and the midfield during his younger
years. Nicknamed ‘Birdman’, Brett’s athletic ability has
allowed him to tower above his opponents to make
spectacular mark’s. His goal sense and ability to lead
forward towards the ball has resulted in 243 goals in 164
matches.
Brett averages 17 out of the 22 round games in the AFL. He
has never been dropped and has only missed games
through injury. The top 8 teams in the AFL table go through
to the play-offs. Finalists can play up to an additional four
games. In 2008, the Crows were finalists in the NAB Cup, a
pre-season tournament of four rounds. Their first game was
played in Dubai, an opportunity to promote the game of
Aussie Rules. Additionally, Brett represented the All Stars
team in this year’s 150th anniversary of Australian Football.
Salaries range from A$ 55, 000 for an 18 year old draft
player up to A$ 800,000 for the leagues elite. The average
salary for players in the AFL is A$ 220, 000. There is a salary
cap of A$7.43 million per club for a forty player list. Clubs
rely heavily on sponsorship. The Adelaide Crows major
partner is Toyota and there are a number of additional minor
sponsors. Brett has a personal contract with Asics and
receives Asics footwear and sporting gear in the region of A$
5000 per season. Brett started playing Aussie Rules at the age of ten, along
with other sports such as hockey, cricket and athletics. His
The Crows home ground is AAMI stadium and a crowd of pathway to the professional game started through the
45, 000 would be typical. AAMI stadium is owned by the school league competition. He played for Woodville-West
South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and is Torrens Eagles in the SANFL club league, before being
shared with their professional rivals Port Adelaide. The home drafted at pick 16 to the Crows at the age of twenty. The
derby is always a tense and close affair, both teams having structure to professionalism now includes Auskick, club
won a game each this season. Away games can vary in academies and junior state representative teams. The
attendance from 35,000 up. Games at the Melbourne Cricket Australian Institute of Sport supports representative players
Ground (MCG) can attract up to 75,000 during the season, in the U16 and U18 Australian squads. International games
particularly when playing against one of the traditional Clubs are played against Ireland, using either Australian Football or
such as Collingwood. The Grand Final at the MCG would be Gaelic Football rules.
played in front of 100,000 fans.
52 Sport IQ : September 2008