Why you should book an AFL premiership player for your grand final event

AFL Grand Final day drives tens of thousands of fans into pubs and restaurants around the country to watch the drama unfold. If your venue is putting on an event, there's a lot of competition to contend with.

You can provide attractive drink specials, delicious food, and colossal widescreen TVs, but nothing screams 'come to my event' as loudly as the guest appearance of a former AFL premiership player.

With the help of Pickstar, you can find an AFL Premiership legend that is the perfect fit to boost your AFL grand event.

Here's everything you need to know about injecting star power into your Grand Final day celebrations.

Premiership players are the only people who can provide insights into not only the premiership experience but the journey, attitude, and skills required to reach a grand final. In particular, these players can provide:

• Insights into emotions and mindset in the lead up to the grand final match
• A great understanding of what is required to build an elite team worthy of a premiership
• Insights into the high-performance standards required to reach a premiership
• An understanding of how to deal with the intense pressure of a grand final
• Strategies on how to overcome a crushing premiership defeat
• Insights into the leadership and motivational skills required to lead a team to victory

Basically, if you can imagine it, it's likely to be possible. After all, PickStar has over 1300 sports stars to choose from, who themselves have different interests and passions. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• A guest speaker opportunity before the game gets underway
• A Q&A session that engages fans and attendees
• A panel discussion with multiple players
• An MC for your event
• Engagement in social media campaigns to promote your event
• Simply attend your event and mingle with the fans!

If you need further inspiration, Pickstar helped book AFL stars for a number of successful events in 2017 and 2018 where former Premiership players boosted the events and campaigns of local businesses and national companies.

In 2017 Sportsbet booked Adelaide Crows hero Tony Modra and Tigers superstar Ivan Maric to create social video content with fans in pubs surrounding the MCG. A local Melbourne café also secured three AFL footballers for a panel discussion at their Grand Final Day breakfast.

And in 2018, Fremantle and Gold Coast legend Michael Barlow was the star of the West Coast vs Collingwood Grand Final event at the Pig and Whistle Hotel in Victoria.

With so many former Premiership players to choose from on the Pickstar marketplace, landing on the right player for you venue can be tough. Here's three of our favourites to to get your shortlist started:

AFL legend Jason Akermanis was a stellar Brisbane Lions player at the forefront of a three-year premiership streak between 2001 and 2003. In 2017, Seven West Media booked Jason to entertain clients on grand final day and they were very impressed with his efforts to mingle with attendees and engage in many conversations.

Andrew Embley spent 15 glorious seasons with the West Coast Eagles and was highly respected until his retirement at the end of 2013. During his prolific career, he spent 2004-2007 vice-captaining the squad, and was a huge part of West Coast's premiership win in 2006. This experience has given Andrew deep insight into the value of good leadership skills when everything is on the line.

Three-time premiership player Cameron Mooney has experienced the highs and lows of playing in grand finals. While his first two appearances were successful, for North Melbourne in 1999 and Geelong Cats in 2007, his third premiership attempt, in 2008, proved unsuccessful. But these experiences has equipped Cameron with insights into building resilience and handling the pressures of Grand Final Day. Since retiring in 2011, Cameron has flourished in the media and would be the perfect charismatic edition to your grand final event!

Visit Pickstar today to book a former AFL premiership player to boost your event.

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