Each week the Club selects a #1 Fan to represent Hawks fans across the world. You can catch our #1 Fans at Hawks training or on match-day, where each fan will get up close to the playing group and Senior Coach Alastair Clarkson prior to the big game.
Alec represented the Applecross Junior Football Club - an Affiliated Club with the Hawks.
Read about his #1 Fan experience below.
My name’s Alec Evensen - I’m nine years old and I play across the centre with the Applecross Hawks in Perth, and my nickname is Jedi. We’re having a great season and we’ve lost only one game this year.
Last week my dad, sister and I arrived at Paterson’s Stadium really excited about seeing the Hawks before their game against Fremantle.
We met a Hawks official, Aaron, next to the merchandise van, who said the team would soon be touching down at Perth airport and would come straight to Paterson’s to get some oxygen into their legs after the long flight from Melbourne.
Pretty soon after, two of my teammates from the Applecross Hawks arrived, Cooper ‘Nugget’ De Silva and Michael ‘Moose’ Perrot, who came with Moose’s granddad. We all got stuck into some hotdogs from the WA Hawks barbecue and also got our photo taken with Hawka so we could show the rest of our mates back in Applecross.
Finally, the security guards let us into the stadium and all the Hawks fans walked to the place where the players run out onto the park. We waited for a while in the rain and then Aaron called for me to come through the gate and onto the grass.
It was amazing to watch the players run out onto the grass - Buddy gave my sister Jessica a high-five as he ran out and she reckons she didn’t wash her hands all weekend - and Nugget and Moose were screaming at the Hawks as they ran past them.
As I was walking across the oval towards the players, someone from behind grabbed me and gave me a huge bear hug - I turned around and it was Clarko!
It had started raining again so he was really kind to lend me his Hawks jacket as I watched the boys do some short training drills. I handed them the water bottle and heaps of the players came up to me and took a squirt of water from me. I looked around the empty stadium wondering what it would feel like in 24 hours, to be the Hawks doing battle with the Dockers in a sea of purple.
The coaches took the players down to the other end of the ground for some more kicking and all of a sudden someone passed the ball to me and said “kick it to Buddy!” so I kicked it about 10 metres to Buddy who spun around and slotted it through for a goal!
I was amazed at how far the players kick the ball and how they can kick it so low and straight, and I was also really amazed at how loud they all shout to each other when they lead for the ball. Our coach Dave is always telling us to talk to our teammates - “yabada yabada yabada” he says, and I learned that it’s really important to drop the ball down straight over my foot.
After the team did a few more drills they started to head over to the edge of the ground, and my dad came down onto the grass and took more photos where I got a great shot with Buddy.
My sister was still there hanging over the fence getting more autographs. The players all look bigger than on the TV and it was great to see them ‘live’.
I’d really like to thank the Hawks Membership team here in Perth for this amazing experience and also for the fantastic Hawks guernsey and signed football - can’t wait to show it to my Hawks teammates next Sunday!
- Alec Evensen
Alastair Clarkson introduces Alec to the players at Paterson's Stadium.
Young Alec runs water to Lance Franklin.
Cyril Rioli takes a sip of Alec's water.
Alec with Alastair Clarkson and the Hawks.
