What an opportunity for a young player – a leg up into the AFL draft after proving yourself on national TV, at the hands of some of the best in the modern game. Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald will be a great host too. From the press release:
Foxtel’s ground-breaking new series THE RECRUIT, in which one talented player will walk away with a guaranteed place on an AFL club list, premieres on Wednesday, July 16 at 7.30pm on FOX8.
The highly anticipated reality format, produced in conjunction with the AFL, was only made possible after an historic change to the AFL legislation.
Hosted by former AFL player turned popular radio host, Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald, THE RECRUIT is a reality football entertainment series that follows 12 ‘Recruits’ who live and play together as a team, while at the same time competing against each other, in order to win this life-changing prize.
Joining Fitzy as head coach on the series is AFL Hall of Fame legend Michael “Vossy” Voss. A three-time AFL Premiership Captain with the Brisbane Lions and winner of the 1996 Brownlow Medal, Vossy is one of the most respected players in AFL history. It is up to him to lead, motivate, teach and mentor these up and coming players. He also has the final say in who is delisted each week.
Also on board is former Hawthorn champion and FOX FOOTY commentator Ben Dixon as Assistant Coach, Port Adelaide’s world class fitness guru Darren Burgess as High Performance Coach; and accomplished sports administrator Leigh Russell as Psychology Coach, responsible for the mental strength and wellbeing of the Recruits.
Together, these sporting heavyweights will be putting the 12 Recruits through their paces, both physically and mentally, in order to discover a player who is truly worthy of a place on an AFL team.
Each week, the Recruits will be judged by their performance in individual and team challenges held both on and off the footy field. The player deemed the weakest every week by head coach Michael Voss will be delisted.
While Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium is the formal home of THE RECRUIT, the various challenges and football games are filmed on location around the country, from Port Lincoln to Alice Springs, the Mornington Peninsula and Canberra.
The series will culminate in a live finale in which an unprecedented AFL Draft will be held, with the winner signing a contract with one AFL Club.
THE RECRUIT is produced by McGuire Media in association with The Media Tribe exclusively for Foxtel. The 10-part series will air on FOX8 from Wednesday, July 16, at 7.30pm with an encore screening on FOX FOOTY the following Wednesday at 5.30pm.