![Jake Anson with 2021 Brisbane Lions AFLW premiership players. Kate Lutkins, Emma Zielke and Jade Ellenger. Picture supplied Jake Anson with 2021 Brisbane Lions AFLW premiership players. Kate Lutkins, Emma Zielke and Jade Ellenger. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/justine.mc%40fairfaxmedia.com.au/8767f96c-9169-4ca3-b033-7fcafd08ab39.jpg/r0_0_3024_3040_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
JAKE ANSON goes Under the Auld Pump with TIM AULD.
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AT A GLANCE
Born: In Portland on March 9, 1982.
Wife: Nadine. Children: Elliot and Iris.
Parents: Bruce and Adrienne. Sibling: Nat.
Education: Warrnambool Primary School before going to Brauer College.
Sporting highlight: Coaching the Calgary Kookaburras to win the 2008 United States National Football Championships in Colorado Springs.
Jake, we'll talk about your sporting highlight in a moment but I want to speak about growing up in Warrnambool. What are your memories of growing up in the seaside city?
I've got nothing but great memories of my time in Warrnambool.
I've lived and worked in big cities including Melbourne, Calgary in Canada and Brisbane.
It's just great to get back home to Warrnambool for a few days to catch up with family and friends.
Warrnambool is just such a special place.
It offers a wonderful lifestyle and I can fully understand why more and more people are moving from places like Melbourne to enjoy the sea change.
Did you play much sport when you were growing up in Warrnambool?
I played footy with Merrivale's under 16 side (in the Warrnambool and District league) and basketball in the local (Warrnambool) competition.
My brother Nat was a better basketball player than me.
My family has been heavily involved with the Warrnambool Fire Brigade and its training program at Friendly Societies' Park plus the CFA.
I took part in events which taught you discipline from the age of 11 to 17.
They held the state championships where other fire brigades from all around the state came to take part in the competition.
My love for living by the sea saw me join the Warrnambool Surf Life Saving Club.
What did you enjoy about the seaside?
In my younger days I spent a lot of time down at Lake Pertobe with my family and mates.
There's nothing better than spending hours at Lake Pertobe.
Warrnambool is lucky to have such a world-class facility which is envied by many other towns and cities across Australia.
My parents encouraged Nat and me to get involved in community groups and activities.
Both my parents are still involved in voluntary community groups.
Bruce delivers Meals on Wheels and helps out with the Red Cross while mum (Adrienne) still fills her various community roles around Warrnambool.
I hope the example that my parents have shown is something that Nadine and I can do with our children.
Who do you barrack for in the AFL?
My family is passionate about the teams they barrack for in the AFL.
Bruce is an avid Collingwood fan while mum barracks for Essendon.
Nat and I are both Brisbane Lions supporters.
We used to have side bets within the family when our sides met.
We would often head to Melbourne for games of AFL on weekends as it was the only time that Bruce got a break away to spend time with his family from his job as the CEO at the Warrnambool City Council.
I'll never forget Bruce coached one of the sides in the local basketball competition in Warrnambool which Nat and I played in.
He would coach the game and then head back down to the office at the city council until late at night to sort out issues that needed attention.
Did you cop much of a ribbing from your school friends or mates that Bruce had such a high-profile job in Warrnambool?
Not that many things but there were the times when The Standard published how much money Bruce was being paid to be the CEO at the council.
I must admit that caused a fair bit of discussion between my mates.
Let's go back to your coaching stint with the Calgary Kookaburras in Canada.
How did that all come about?
I was working in the oil industry in 2006 in Canada and I was looking to be involved in sport.
Calgary had its men's footy side which was called the Calgary Kangaroos and I became a volunteer football administrator with the club.
I ended up coaching the Calgary Kookaburras' women's side.
We went from having two women at training to having more than 40 within a few months.
I was the first coach of the Canadian national women's team before coaching the Kookaburras to the United States national titles in 2008 and to their first wins over the United States in 2010.
Australian Rules footy, whether it be the men's or women's, has really developed in the United States over the years.
What happened next in your career?
I returned to Australia in 2011 and got a development role job with the Brisbane Lions.
I was juggling university studies in Urban and Environmental Planning at Griffith University at the time with my work before I got a job with AFL Queensland in 2012 as the infrastructure planning manager and was responsible for football projects big and small across Queensland and the broader region including setting up footy ovals.
The numbers of children - both boys and girls - wanting to play footy up north is amazing and the facilities are needed to cater for their needs.
In 2016, I was asked by Brisbane chief executive officer Greg Swann and the AFL to aid the Lions in securing a long-term solution for its training base.
We reviewed 30 possible sites for the training and administration base across greater Brisbane before coming up with the Springfield site which was opened in October last year.
The $80 million state-of-the-art training and administration base is already the envy of sporting clubs across the country.
It's the first gender-equal facility in the country, with all facilities provided for the AFL program replicated for the AFLW program.
Everything is identical, right down to the 50 lockers in each section.
What's next for Jake Anson in your role at the Lions?
It's extremely busy.
I fly out next week to inspect stadiums in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville and Miami as we are planning to build a new football facility on the Gabba site.
The Gabba site will be bulldozed in 2026 as we prepare facilities for the long-term playing ground of the Brisbane Lions.
The state-of-the-art stadium will also be used for the 2032 Olympic Games.
It's a very busy time.
There's lots of challenges and things going on but it's exciting times.
I love the work and the challenges it presents.
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