Levi Ashcroft (born 18 December 2006) is an Australian rules footballer who will be father-son drafted to the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL).
| Levi Ashcroft | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 18 December 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Gold Coast, Queensland | ||
| Original team(s) | Brisbane Lions(VFL)/Sandringham Dragons (NAB League) / Brighton Grammar (APS) / St Kilda City (SMJFL) / Southport (QAFL) / Broadbeach (QAFL) | ||
| Height | 179 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder/Forward | ||
Early life
editAshcroft was born on 18 December 2006 on the Gold Coast, to parents Rebecca and Marcus. He has two siblings, one of which is fellow professional footballer Will Ashcroft.[1] His father, Marcus Ashcroft, is a three-time AFL premiership player who competed in 318 games for the Brisbane Bears/Lions over the course of his 15-year professional career.[2] While based on the Gold Coast, Levi attended All Saints Anglican School[3] and began playing junior football in 2014 for the Broadbeach Cats in the local under-9s competition.
Ashcroft has stated that his idol growing up was then-Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett Jr. and through his father's football manager role at the Suns, Ashcroft was given the opportunity to observe Ablett up close and has stated that he modelled his game around Ablett's style from a young age.[4] In 2016, Ashcroft switched clubs and began playing junior football for the Southport Sharks. Despite being 11 years old at the time, Ashcroft was playing for Southport's under-14s division 1 team in 2018 and was considered an outstanding junior prospect. A year later he relocated to Melbourne with his family where he began attending Brighton Grammar and played junior football for St Kilda City in the South Metro Junior Football League. He temporarily moved back to Queensland in 2020 to play in the QAFL junior league for Morningside during the COVID-19 pandemic-affected year which cancelled all junior football competitions within Victoria.
Upon returning to Melbourne in 2021, Ashcroft caught the eye of Coates Talent League recruiters and signed to play for the Sandringham Dragons in the 2022 season, despite only recently turning 15 years of age. Ashcroft got the opportunity to play alongside his brother Will throughout the 2022 season and played in Sandringham's grand final victory that year[5] as well as representing Victoria Metro at the U16 national championships and was named in the U16 All Australian team that year.[6]
Some media members have suggested that Ashcroft went on to compile the greatest junior football career ever by taking part in three consecutive Coates Talent League premierships between 2022-24, winning Sandringham's best and fairest award at 16, winning the APS Premiership with Brighton Grammar in 2024 and leading Victoria Metro to a gold medal win in the 2024 national championships as well as being named in the U18 All Australian team in 2023 and 2024 respectively.[7] In August 2024, Ashcroft elected to return to his home state of Queensland by agreeing to join the Brisbane Lions under the father-son rule.[8]
AFL career
editAshcroft will join the Brisbane Lions as a father–son selection in the 2024 AFL draft.
References
edit- ^ Robbemond, Amanda (16 March 2017). "Coeliac disease: How Marcus Ashcroft's Gold Coast family live with gluten intolerance". The Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Queensland Football Hall of Fame: Marcus Ashcroft (Legend)". AFL Queensland. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ "The Saints Magazine - Winter 2018". All Saints Anglican School. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "Levi Ashcroft on motivation, big moments and the prospect of being a No. 1 pick". Herald Sun. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "Ashcroft brothers spearhead Dragons to victory". Sandringham Dragons. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "2022 NAB AFL National Development Championships U16 Boys All-Australian Team". AFL.com.au. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "Levi Ashcroft and Sam Marshall: Lions' draft riches set to extend premiership window". ESPN.com.au. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "No.1 pick contender commits to Lions as father-son". AFL.com.au. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.