Tragic Death of 21-Year-Old Football Star Exposes Dark Underbelly of Aussie Rules Culture
-
- Steven Callanan, a talented young footballer, took his own life after a night of celebratory drinks with his teammates.
- A coroner’s report revealed cocaine was in his system, fuelling concerns about the drug culture within football clubs.
Steven Callanan was a star on and off the field. The 21-year-old had just been named best on ground in a practice match for his new club, Wallan, and was celebrating with his teammates. But the next day, he took his own life, leaving his family and friends in shock.
**”He was fantastic on the field – he brought people around him,”** his father Paul Callanan said, still reeling from the loss of his son.
A coroner’s report later revealed that Steven had cocaine in his system, consumed during the football trip the night prior to his death. While the report found that Wallan Football Netball Club provided a reasonable standard of care to Steven, his family is convinced that the culture of alcohol and drug use within the club played a role in his death.
**”People need to know what happened to Steven, and to be aware of it,”** Steven’s mother Evelyn Brown said, her voice shaking with emotion. **”We want [people] to know, especially his younger mates, this is what he’s done and this is the effect it’s had on so many people.”**
Steven’s death has highlighted the dark underbelly of Aussie Rules culture, where a “work hard, play hard” attitude often overshadows concerns about player wellbeing. Josh, a former player, described the culture as “toxic masculinity,” where players were pressured to drink and party to fit in.
“It’s really fun, but you just drink for three days straight, some people do drugs depending on the trip,” Josh said. **”I remember we had singlets in pink for who was ‘best on’ and green for who was ‘worst on’, and one day because I didn’t want to drink at 8am … I immediately copped the green singlet, getting called soft and things like that.”**
Thomas Baulch, a social media influencer and former player, agrees that the culture needs to change. **”It’s very much a boys’ club, it’s very much … alcohol, drugs, gambling,”** he said. **”If you don’t get involved in that … a lot of the time, you can get ostracised from the club.”**
David Burt, founder of not-for-profit health charity Sport and Life Training, believes that leaders within clubs need to set the tone and create social occasions that don’t revolve around alcohol or partying. **”In some clubs, you have really strong leadership — they’ll go in search of the difficult conversations,”** he said. **”[Some] clubs are run by people who are old school — you celebrate by drinking, and they either aren’t aware of the drug use or they turn a blind eye to it.”**
Steven’s parents are determined to spare other families the pain they’ve experienced. This Sunday, they will undertake a nine-kilometre fundraiser walk at Westmeadows Football Netball Club to raise awareness for suicide prevention. **”We can’t change what happened with Steven, but we can hopefully make a difference to [others],”** Ms Brown said. **”If we can just help one person, it will be enough.”**