The 37-year-old has worked for the Australian Football League side since 1994 and was recently awarded Life Membership at their Club Championship Awards last month.
Having seen everything from winning the 1994 Grand Final, losing the 2005 one, watching staff, players and coaches come and go, Souris said the last 20 seasons had provided him with some of the most magical moments of his life. ‘I started in March 1994 and was 17 and originally employed on a traineeship,’ he said.
‘My original role was the office assistant and I also helped the accounts payable/receivable area with data entry and banking.
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READ NOW‘On home match-days I helped out the on-ground entertainment coordinator to help ensure that pre-match, quarter time and half time activities all ran as scheduled.’
These days the father-of-two’s job is very different.
Now the Football Operations Manager he oversees that training, and match-days are planned according to coach and player needs, including travel and accommodation for all away matches and training venues in all locations.
‘I feel like I have never stopped or become stale like I have heard some people, outside our industry, complain of,’ he said.
Belinda Cipriano