The ECU Jets: Bringing Back The Culture

WRITTEN BY DYLAN GILLIS

Remember those old-school, feel good, sport films? You know, the ones about the underdogs and misfits who come together, form a strong bond, and become more than just a team?

At ECU, we have exactly that; The ECU Jets.

As the current president of the ECU Jets, I have had the pleasure of watching our humble club grow in size and numbers since joining in 2019. I have met countless incredible people, had many a joyous laugh, and, of course, played many a close gameeven picking up some injuries along the way!

For those who are unfamiliar with our story, the ECU Jets Amateur Sport Club, known to most as simply “the Jets” was built from the ground up by students, for students. At the time of formation, there was little to no sport on-campus at ECU. From seeing this, the founders of the club teamed up with the help of the university to create the Jets to provide a more captivating sporting pathway for the ECU community and help increase campus culture.

We originally started as a single AFL team with the aim of playing in the local community football league; very similar to that of the Curtin Wesley and UWA football clubs. As traction gathered around the sport of AFL, so did the demand for other sports that were craved by students. Knowing this, we created clubs in these, such as Futsal, Touch Football, and Netball. Across our four sports, we’ve fostered comradery among our members, and have proudly done so for nearly a decade.

Since establishing the Jets, we have grown to include two sporting competitions. This includes mixed social netball, on campus, at Joondalup’s ECU Sports and Fitness Centre, and our Touch Football association at Heathridge’s Admiral Park

All our sports have managed to create a great space for our members to come together, develop sporting skills, create new social networks within the club, and personally develop and grow themselves further.

One of the best parts about being on campus, as a Jet, is when you see other students, staff, and occasionally alumni wearing the Jets’ merch. From that instant, immediately, other members, past and present, will recognise the logo and think, “I’m going to have a chat with that person.” That’s how ingrained the Jets’ culture is within ECU.

We also aim to provide students with as many opportunities as possible to obtain practical experience within their studies. Although these are not actively on campus, we usually give students a chance to fulfil their study requirements/criteria, while providing a considerable amount of industry experience at the same time. In the past we’ve had multiple students (including myself) participate in Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs for their undergraduate bachelor’s degrees at the club. This has included hospitality, tourism, exercise science and sports and events management disciplines. We have also helped multiple PhD students complete research within the School of Exercise and Sports Science.

As COVID has affected us all over the past years, it’s time that we all come together to bring back that campus culture we all, to some extent, crave. To bring it back to what it was in its glory days. Sport will never go away, so neither will we. The Jets are here for all the students, staff, and alumni of ECU.