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Thread: Support Petition for Linton Hardy to play Football

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    Default Support Petition for Linton Hardy to play Football

    Yes, its going to be a rant - stick your fingers in your ears or leave the thread if you don't want to hear it.

    A couple of years ago I asked for your assistance in regards to a friends son. Young Linton was born with an extremely rare genetic disorder which only about 100 people world wide have. When diagnosed, doctors told his parents he would not be able to do much in life. He has proved them wrong time after time. They said he would never be able to work, he works mowing lawns and has also been getting a bit of real world experience in a nursery.

    Much of his personal development and a key reason why he has succeeded in life is because of his love of football and playing for Rye Football Club. He is first there and last to leave every game. Pre season he has been training with the under 19's and hasn't played a game with them this year. He isn't really at a skill level that he can play seniors (seconds).

    Previously, the AFLSE (South Eastern) has given out over/under age permits everywhere when it has been obvious that teams couldn't make up numbers. The AFLSE were asked by the club if they would issue a special circumstances permit to Linton. Previously things like this were not a problem. Their answer was no.

    Their first response (to the club, not the family) was he is too big and might hurt some of the 16-17 year olds playing up a grade. Linton is a 6'2 gentle giant. Many of the under 19's are this big or taller, they all drive cars to the games.

    They also stated no because they claimed that Linton turned 21 during the season. This is wrong. He only turned 20 a couple of months ago.

    Then in an email to the family (which took them a week to answer), they stated that as of last season we have changed our policy in regards to permits, and to boot, we have changed all the dates as well. Instead of being out by 5 weeks, they say due to the change of rules he is 7 months out.


    What a lousy pack of schmucks these people are. Its bad enough that they ruin the premier game every year with stupid rules, but they now medal in all suburban leagues as well. Their only interests are AFLX (for their own pockets) and AFLW (to appease the leftist media).



    As link is pay walled, I have posted it below :


    THE PARENTS of a footy-mad 20-year-old with a rare “overgrowth” syndrome have pleaded with AFL officials to allow him to stay with his underage team.

    Linton and Nichola Hardy want son Linton Jnr, who also has a mild intellectual disability, to play another year in his Rye under-19s team because he fitted in socially and it was where he would best develop his on-field skills.
    They described Linton, who has the rare Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (known as overgrowth syndrome), as a gentle giant.
    Mrs Hardy said her son had trained hard to develop as a footballer.
    “You have to look sometimes there’s mitigating circumstances and every case is unique,” she said.
    “It’s not just about game day. It’s about development and the social side.
    “He’s very familiar with it. He’s very comfortable (with the under 19s).
    “The only way he is going to develop is to get on the field. It’s about the skills.”
    Linton played practice games with the under-19s this season, but has not played with the team during the regular season.
    He will continue to train with the team if he does not get a permit for the under-19s, with the aim of playing in Rye Football Netball Club’s seconds next year.
    “It’s my passion. I love playing with my mates. It’s great fun,” Linton told the Leader.
    Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome occurs primarily in males and those with it grow and gain weight at an unusual rate. Linton stands at 192cm or six feet, two inches.
    AFL South East general manager John Anderson said officials empathised with Linton, but he was simply too old for the under-19s team.
    Mr Anderson said officials did consider requests from those up to four months older than the cut-off date, but even with this Linton was still “seven months over the flexible period”.
    “We have advised them (Linton’s parents) of these conditions,” he said.
    “Our special consideration applies in that four month time frame. It’s well outside the criteria.”


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    Doesn't surprise me mate.....the AFL went totally off the rails under Demitriou IMO. All semblance of compassion is gone.

    To me they've complicated and practically wrecked what was once a simple exciting game.
    The fact that there's a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven says a lot about the anticipated traffic flow.

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    Not sure what it costs to go to an AFL game in the Melbourne, but a plastic pot of mid strength beer is $8.90

    Corporate Scum bags seems an apt description
    If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!

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    This reminds me of the movie 'Cool Runnings' where because of the Coaches previous indiscretions, rules were changed and amendments made to prevent the Team from competing.
    Now its not unfair to be worried this Lad because of his size could cause hurt to other players but even when all the members of a Team are the same size, things happen.

    I dont know if he wants to play a full match or would he be happy just having a 'Run On' with the Team and they 'Play' around him.
    Another example of pigheadedness was of a paraplegic boy involved in Down Hill Billy Cart Racing and he had been competing for some time and doing really very well but one day at the beginning of the Championships, they wanted to disqualify him because his Billy Cart had a HAND Brake but the rules said FOOT BRAKE.
    To cut a long story, by involving the media covering the event and presenting this ruling was discriminatory, the Rules were amended.
    I think this is one of those stories that would get him and others 'permits' to play within their limits.
    I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!

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    Having been involved in community footy for many years I will never be surprised by any decision that comes down from above. In the junior metro league in Perth we have had different ages, genders, abilities etc and never an issue. Then someone (who never comes to watch a full game, maybe just one quarter a season at your club) decides they are going to do something important to satisfy their ego and ruin it for for everyone.

    My favourite was a few years ago before the start in a 14's game when a dickhead from our local wafl zone told us our oval was too long. We had to set up four new posts either end, two meters in front of the large fixed sets of posts that were permanently in the ground. What a spectacle that was, watching the kids lining up for goal...lucky that directive only lasted a week.

    Common sense would say you give it a go and see if any issues arise. If he is indeed a gentle giant then the kids can only get hurt by someone else, if at all. But it isn't the game as we know it, and I honestly shudder to think where it will be in 20 years. Not that we will be able to afford tickets....

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    I just realised the link is pay walled. I have edited my original post.

    He just looks big in the photo because Linton Snr is not overly tall. Linton Jnr is about the same height as me, we measured back to back a couple of months ago. He is about half a centimetre taller, personally I reckon he only won because he has hair.

    Like you Mkhannah, the Hardy's are a football family and most football families are sick of the AFL since they have taken over suburban football. Everything is going PC very quickly and I can see a lot of people leaving the sport rather than taking it up. Its hard to see where their "inclusive" policies are in this situation, particularly since they have been approving plenty of permits previously. Young Linton doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body and I dont think he has ever said a bad word about anyone in his life.

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    Much as I dislike the idea, Current Affair, or one of the other "news" outlets might take up your case.
    I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...

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    Quote Originally Posted by lsemmens View Post
    Much as I dislike the idea, Current Affair, or one of the other "news" outlets might take up your case.
    Yep, I have been contacting a lot of places, hope to get one to bite. Made the front page of the local paper


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    Hope a good ending comes out of this. Still shaking my head at how it got to this point. That league has no common sense whatsoever. Ffs.

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    I wanted to post this despite it being chalk and cheese. But young people with afl talent in any league can experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. If only people in the hierarchy gave a little more than lip service in times of conflict and realised its a game for players to play above everything else....

    This bloke had a lot of talent and a lot of baggage.


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    This is still going on. Public support to the news article has been fantastic, but of course the AFL are simply saying nothing and just hoping to wait the season out and end of problem.

    So, being the public nuisance that I usually am, I am assisting the family to take it as far as we can against them. If we go down, we are going to go down swinging.

    There will be a follow up article appearing soon, and I am acting on behalf of young Linton and making a formal complaint against AFL South East at the Australian Human Rights Commission. My complaint is that I feel he is being discriminated against based on his age and his disability.

    We will also be launching a change.org petition and the url will be in the news article. I will be asking for Austech members support on this, no I wont be harassing you via email but I will be putting a link on the front page of the site. We are going to need all the help we can get to win this one.

    We have also been contacted by many players who have been given permits to play up/down well outside what the AFLSE claim is the limit.

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    Sorry, I have skipped over a lot of the other replies because I really don't have any interest in any game that involves a ball.

    Slap me on the back of the head if I haven't got the gist of this.

    The boy wants to play football, but they cannot find a league to put him in.

    ie. they want put him in under 18 because he's huge, or they won't put him in under 19 because he's too young etc.
    That might not be accurate but is it along those lines?

    If that is the case then I would not continue to waste your time with the AFL administration. If they have already tried to negotiate with them, then it's time to take REAL action.
    Going to the media is pointless because they really don't give a shit unless they can sell something or crusade a very high moral ground. It has already had media attention in the paper and you'll notice it was completely ignored.

    So if the above is true, then it is on the ground of disability discrimination. He is certainly not incapable of playing AFL, so it's not like he has special needs.
    ie he doesn't need to be in a wheelchair AFL team. So if he is capable, then it is the duty of the AFL to find a place for him, not the other way around.

    I would lodge a claim with HEROC, the Human rights commission. It doesn't cost anything but you do need to have a plan for resolution.
    In this case, that resolution is that they find a team for him to play in that he is suited to and is within a reasonable distance.
    So they can't say, we have a team in Bendigo you can play in if he lives in Moe.

    He's not asking for any kind of cash settlement, all he wants is to play a normal game in a normal team.
    HEROC will find that a very easy case to deal with. The settlement is simple, fair and easy. All the AFL has to do is harden the fvck up and put him in a team.
    The AFL actually has a poetic licence with no limits to find a solution.

    I reckon I could find a solution for the AFL. But doing nothing and making excuses is is way to find yourself in a real courtroom.
    If HEROC thinks the AFL is boondoggling, then they can give an informal ruling. HEROC is really just a form of mediation. It's what you do to avoid going to court and 99% of the time that's how it works out. If you can't get a resolution, HEROC will pass on their recommendation. That might be that you don't have a reasonable claim. Or you might have a reasonable claim but because you are being palmed off you can take it to on to a real court.
    If HEROC gives the court it's recommendation, then the party that doesn't seriously consider that advice is likely to find it much harder to 'not lose'.

    Walking into court and making a completely reasonable claim like, "I want to play AFL like everybody else." is something a court is going to find a solution for the AFL very quickly and it might not be a resolution they like. Of course it might not be a resolution you like either.

    But for now, I would just take it to HEROC and keep it simple and let them help find a workable and reasonable solution.
    If that doesn't work out, at least then they will have a clear idea of whether real legal action is possible or reasonable.
    Yes I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.

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    You've got my support Admin.
    I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...

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    Quote Originally Posted by trash View Post
    Sorry, I have skipped over a lot of the other replies because I really don't have any interest in any game that involves a ball.

    Slap me on the back of the head if I haven't got the gist of this.
    He simply wants to play one final year of under 19's with team mates at the club that he played for his entire life.

    I am almost typed out at the moment, but they have refused to issue a permit to allow him to play under 19's. He turned 20 in February.
    When he was 16, he played in the under 15 Premiership side on a permit that allowed him to play even though he was 16.
    In the newspaper photo I posted from last weeks paper, he is wearing his under 15 Premiership jumper.......he is basically the same height and weight now that he was then, obviously as the jumper still fits.
    No concessions are being asked for or after this season, its probably his last at the club. He gives 100%, but wont make the grade for selection in the seconds.
    His future football career will be decided after this year, probably at a different club and league. His family are not asking for any assistance in this matter.
    AFL SE have taken over the league and changed all the rules, however they dont tell anyone. Their rules and policies are not public.



    Cut and paste this from a 4 page complaint I am making :




    1. There has been a very clear precedent of players being given permits.


    I can refer to a particular case in the last couple of years in which a player at Rye Football Club received a permit to play in the under 19’s for no other reason than his skills were not up to standard and he was not ready for senior football. He is 4 weeks younger than Linton. A perfectly healthy young man with no disability and no other extenuating circumstances which were to be considered. We have also been contacted by other players who have advised they have played under permits to make up numbers in teams short of players.



    1. Junior players are “playing up” in to the under 19’s.


    Given the AFL South East’s apparent concerns for people getting hurt, why are they allowing junior players in to the under 19’s which in effect is an adult league?



    1. The recent leader news story shows a current photo of Linton, taken last week, wearing his 4 year old signed under 15’s Premiership jumper.


    Linton’s growth has slowed substantially in the last 4 years and Linton is wearing the very same Premiership jumper that he wore in the Under 15’s Grand Final. Obviously, there is very little difference in his size now compared to 4 years ago. If it was acceptable for him to play under 15’s at roughly his current weight and height against 14-year-old boys, how is he any more likely to hurt someone now than what he would then? Particularly as he is now playing against
    older players ?



    1. The Leader’s news story was also picked up by The Daily Mail Australia. In that news article, the following is stated: “John Anderson, the general manager for AFL South East, told The Herald Sun their decision was not about Linton's size, purely his age “.


    I think it’s quite clear from the AFLSE email correspondence I quoted earlier, that AFL South East has an issue with Linton’s size.



    1. Linton does not have an aggressive bone in his body. He is happy, friendly and your classic gentle giant.


    Linton would not be taking anyone’s place in the under 19 side, they are short a couple of players.



    1. It is of interest to note that ex Collingwood star Dane Swan was granted permission to play for Westmeadows Football Club on Anzac Day after accepting an insurance pay out from the AFL for a career ending injury.


    It certainly begs the question – Do we have 2 sets of rules in this country? A multi-millionaire ex player has no problem having the AFL overturn a decision that allows him to play on Anzac Day, yet Linton, named after his great great uncle Linton Hardy killed in action at Gallipolli in 1915 simply gets told no, end of story. Swan was payed out by the AFL because he could never play football again, yet his appeals to the AFL resulted in the AFL making a policy variation.

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    Ive signed the petition

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    Ive signed the petition

    And left a comment.
    Cheers
    Ted (Al)

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    signed yager its a joke that people have to resort to such measure to deal with
    small minded organisations

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    I'm in, all signed. I wish him well,
    I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...

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    Default Support Petition

    I would not have been so polite to say it is a 'Bad Decision' but rather a lousy, thoughtless, discriminating disgusting smack in the face of a person who is trying to participate in everyday activities despite the difficulties Life has thrown in their path.

    I usually shy away from Petitions, particularly those asking for donations but this one deserves all the help they can get.
    I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!

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