This week Ladder welcomed Billy Gowers to the team who has com onboard as a Development Coach to support the Ladder Step Up Latrobe Valley program for the remainder of the year.

Billy is a former professional athlete who was drafted by Carlton Football Club in 2015 before joining the Western Bulldogs in 2017.

“It was an easy decision to be involved with an organisation like Ladder that supports hundreds of young people across the country every year so soon after footy. To be able to work with young people and be able to put myself to good use is something important for me moving forward.”

Billy has been working with young people, delivering group development sessions focused on holistic health and wellbeing and will also look to become a 1:1 mentor in the new year stating “I'm interested in mentoring a young person to be able to give them a sounding board to open up to and to just be there for them. I’ve been involved with a mentoring program previously and it was amazing to watch these youth grow and gain more confidence and understanding throughout the course of the program.”

As the official charity of the AFL Players’ Association, along side our young people, AFL players continue to be at the heart of what we do.

Ladder Acting CEO, Bob Mc Kevitt said "We are delighted to welcome Billy to the team at Ladder. As the official charity of AFL players, we are grateful to receive support from range of AFL and AFLW players throughout the year. Having someone as passionate as Billy directly supporting our young people in a more formal capacity will no doubt have a really positive impact."