TIV: BUILDING A FUTURE BEYOND FOOTY
Taylor Adams has built a reputation in the AFL as one of the toughest midfielders in the game.
From his early days at Greater Western Sydney to nearly a decade at Collingwood, and now with the Sydney Swans, Adams has always played with grit, leadership, and consistency.
However, what makes his story stand out is not just what happens on the footy field, but also the way he has prepared for life beyond it.
In 2017, while dominating on-field and averaging 30 possessions a game, Adams was also taking on a completely different challenge studying carpentry at the Trade Institute of Victoria (TIV).
He wasn’t alone. Teammates Steele Sidebottom, Will Hoskin-Elliott and Jordan De Goey joined him in completing the CPC30220 Certificate III in Carpentry, making Collingwood the seventh Victorian club to have players enrolled at TIV.
For Adams, it was about more than filling in time away from the game.
“I really have a newfound interest in the building and construction industry as I’m planning on renovating my own house later this year,” he explained during his studies.
He also admitted to having a long-term interest in real estate and saw carpentry as the first step toward possibly gaining a builder’s licence.
Balancing AFL commitments with study isn’t easy, but Adams praised TIV for creating a program that worked around the demands of professional sport. “
The flexibility TIV offer is exceptional,” he said. “The opportunity to come in one day a week on our day off and gradually chip away at a qualification was really enticing.”
Those words show the foresight of someone who not only leads on the field but thinks ahead off it. Adams understood that while football is a career, it’s not forever. By taking the step to study, he became a proud past student of TIV, proving the importance of planning for life after sport.
Although he missed Collingwood’s 2023 premiership due to injury, Adams soon made the move to Sydney in search of new opportunities.
Today, as he wears the red and white, his time at TIV remains a reminder that true leaders invest in their future just as much as their present.
Taylor Adams is more than an AFL star, he’s an example of how passion, planning, and education can build something lasting well beyond the game.
Thinking about kicking more goals off the field, give TIV a call on 9399 9511 to ask about our construction courses.
