The Fremantle Dockers have employed Australian basketball icon Damian Martin as an AFL Leadership Advisor, adding his renowned experience in sports leadership to the club's AFL program.
Known for his fierce competitiveness and exceptional leadership in the professional sporting space, Martin will focus on player leadership development, working closely with Fremantle's leadership group and overseeing the football program's guiding principles.
Martin, 40, enjoyed an illustrious basketball career spanning 19 seasons from 2002-2020.
As the captain of the Perth Wildcats for eight seasons, he led the Western Australian franchise to five NBL championships, earning the NBL's Best Defensive Player title six timesโa record that inspired the league to name the trophy in his honour upon his retirement.
Additionally, Martin represented Australia on the international stage, including the 2016 Rio Olympics, and played an impressive 342 NBL games over 13 seasons.
Fremantle's Executive General Manager of Football, Joe Brierty, expressed enthusiasm about Martin joining the Dockers.
โWe are delighted to welcome someone of Damian's character and expertise into our AFL program,โ Brierty said.
โIt's clear how highly respected he was as a competitor and leader by the Perth Wildcats, Australian Boomers, and the broader Australian basketball community. Those traits will be a great asset to our Club.
โHis passion and expertise inspired teammates on and off the court, so we can't wait to tap into that knowledge. We've been talking to Damian for some time, and we're thrilled to welcome him, his wife Brittany, and their daughters Maggie, Bonnie, and Poppy to the Freo family for next season and beyond.โ
Damo, in purple โ๏ธ#foreverfreo pic.twitter.com/unroWgkHEj
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) October 9, 2024
Martin joins Fremantle on a two-year contract, embracing his new role after careful consideration.
โI've been weighing it up for a while now, and the more I thought about it, the more motivated I became to get involved,โ Martin said.
โI genuinely believe the Fremantle Dockers can achieve something special, so if I can contribute, even in a small way, it was hard to turn my back on that opportunity.โ
โI'm not coming in with any preconceived ideas whatsoever. I'm a big believer in โknow your role, embrace it, do it to the best of your ability,' and then I'll be looking for ways in which I can help.โ
