Crows players and officials welcomed participants from the 2022 Toyota AFL National Inclusion Carnival for a behind-the-scenes look at the Club on Tuesday.

Tom Doedee, Ebony Marinoff, Anne Hatchard, Sarah Allan and Niamh Kelly, as well as past player Sam Jacobs, greeted more than 160 participants from across Australia who are in SA taking part in the Carnival.

The Crows representatives provided a tour of the training facilities at West Lakes and gave insights into the life of a professional footballer, covering topics such as what a normal training week looks like, diet, recovery and more.

First played in 2014, the Toyota AFL National Inclusion Carnival is an annual representative tournament for men with an intellectual disability. The Carnival is being held in South Australia for the first time this year, with eight State and Territory teams coming together at the Angaston Football Club in the Barossa Valley to play across five days between November 5-10.

Defender Tom Doedee returned from his off-season break to meet participants.

“To give them a tour of the facility and show them how we live with all the different things – the nutrition side of it, our sleep areas, where we train, where we gym, where we have a run around – was a good experience and we had some good questions asked as well,” Doedee said.

“The players were interested in our day-to-day lives and training loads. There was also a few questions about how to get through adversity and tough times when footy’s not going your way which was enlightening to not only share our answers but also hear their answers and about their journey as well.

“We had a lot a lot of Crows fans so they wanted to know pretty much everything there is to know about the Club.”

Doedee has played a key role in the Adelaide Crows Foundation’s Inclusive Academy across the past two seasons which helps young people aged between 10-15 with special needs develop football skills and forge new friendships.

“I’ve been involved with disability for a long time. We looked after my mum’s best friend’s son Jake for a little bit when he was younger, I was probably about 9 or 10 when that was going on, so I adjusted to living with someone with a disability early on,” he said.

“My sister-in-law is living with down syndrome, she is the most beautiful human in the world, my brother is a double leg amputee, it’s something that is super passionate to me, so to come in on an off day is no issue at all especially when you get to see the smiles on the faces.

“For me it’s the most rewarding thing I can do – you get better in life by giving back to people and that makes you a better person in general.”

Toyota is the proud naming-rights sponsor for the Inclusion Carnival, which is taking place for the first time since 2019 with the past two events cancelled due to the pandemic.

Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer, Vin Naidoo said Toyota is proud to be supporting the Toyota AFL National Inclusion Carnival, and thanked the AFL for such an incredible initiative.

“It’s fantastic to see the tournament return after two years. The role it plays for people of all abilities to be able to come together as a team and showcase their skills on the ground is outstanding,” Mr Naidoo said.

“Toyota is committed to empowering all ages and abilities to participate in the great game of AFL, and we continue to support its development at all levels from grassroots to the elite.”