FROM THE locker room to the front office, Geelong is built differently to other clubs. 

The reigning premier will start the new campaign with the oldest (average age of 25.5 years) and most experienced (92.4 games) list in the AFL, but those simple metrics only tell part of a unique story inside Kardinia Park. 

There are currently 10 fathers on the list, but that figure could rise by the time you read this with Jeremy Cameron and his partner Indiana expecting their first child any minute. Jon Ceglar and his wife Charlotte are also expecting in the not too distant future. 

Tom Hawkins, Mitch Duncan, Patrick Dangerfield and Rhys Stanley all have three children; Isaac Smith, Zach Tuohy, Tom Stewart, Sam Menegola and Gary Rohan have two kids each, while Cam Guthrie's long-term partner also has a child. 

That is a total of 23 kids, some who run amok inside the club – like Gary and Nathan Ablett once did – when they come in. One day these youngsters, too, might return to wear the famous hoops.

To highlight the difference between Geelong, which has the oldest list in the AFL, and Hawthorn, the youngest, there is only one parent at Waverley Park. And it isn't Luke Breust – the only Hawk above 30 – it's Tyler Brockman, who has two young daughters. 

It is one of the reasons why the program under Chris Scott is structured unlike almost any other club.  

The Cats start later or finish earlier, depending on the time of year. They don't cut corners, but they make the program work for the players, allowing them to live normal lives away from the club. Little things like school drop-offs and kindergarten collection are important.  

While most clubs started pre-season training before many people with a day job sit down with a latte at their desk, Geelong often trained in the afternoons during the pre-season, occasionally even under lights at night. 

Having extra time for other things away from the club is helped by the easy commute to and from GMHBA Stadium. Most of the list is scattered across half a dozen suburbs in and around the club's headquarters, where the average commute to work is less than 10 minutes. Some don't even experience a red light on the way in, making it a dramatically different existence to those at Collingwood or Richmond who spend longer navigating the traffic on Olympic Boulevard or Punt Road. 

Joel Selwood quipped at a function earlier this week that it would usually take him five minutes to get to work – eight minutes on a bad day. Compare that to some trekking from bayside to The Hangar or the Whitten Oval. Smith rides his bike down the road to work, Ceglar often walks the 300m to the club.

It is all part of the wider appeal of playing for Geelong, where the AFL environment feels as close to a country football club than anywhere else, just with a high level of excellence that has seen the Cats feature in 16 of the past 17 finals series.  

Some players in search of the country or coastal life choose the Cats over more lucrative options. Stanley, Hawkins and Cameron all live on rural properties within 15 minutes of the club, while there is a growing mob in Torquay, including Sam De Koning, Mark Blicavs and Cam Guthrie. 

Dangerfield has the longest commute by some margin, making the 50-minute trek from Moggs Creek, while top-10 pick Jhye Clark lives with his family 30km away in Queenscliff. 

Talk to anyone inside GMHBA Stadium and it also the intangible connection in the community that makes Geelong different. Unlike city-based clubs where you may not even know your neighbour, Cats players and staff frequently cross paths in cafés, milk bars and supermarket aisles. If your aunty is in town from Canada or your brother has opened a wine bar, people know. 

Even in the football department, many have children who go to school together. Nigel Lappin and Shane O'Bree's wives have taught Simon Lloyd and Andrew Mackie's children. And it is in this part of the building where many figures at different times have had twins, including player development manager Mark Worthington, high performance boss Scott Murphy, Nigel Lappin, Josh Jenkins and Matthew Scarlett. 

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New development coach Daisy Pearce doesn't only cross paths with Smith in her new role, she also sees the Norm Smith Medal winner at the kindergarten their kids attend.  

Geelong has also added another familiar name to an off-field role on the eve of the season with Mel Riccardi – Osca's mum and Peter's wife – joining the club as facilities manager. 

Hawthorn has long owned the 'family club' moniker, but these days it is more fitting down at Kardinia Park.