WEARN Matt

General
SAILING OVER AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL
He chose sailing over pursuing a career in Australian rules football. At age 15 he was selected for the development squad of the West Perth Australian rules football club, and says he had hoped to progress to playing in the Australian Football League [AFL]. "It seemed that fantasy might come true. Yet, it was there and then that I decided to walk away from that journey and put all my energy into forging another sporting pathway, in sailing. Having to choose between a promising career in two sports is a blessing but it's also challenging, especially when you're in your mid-teens, which is about the age these sort of dilemmas tend to come up. Once I started moving up the ranks in sailing fleets, things became progressively more complicated and, eventually, there was no escaping the reality that a choice had to be made. There are times that I wonder what might have been. But the fact that I chose sailing, a fringe sport in Australia compared to Australian rules football, is a decision I've never regretted." (playersvoice.com.au, 06 Jan 2019)

FUTURE PLANS
He says he plans to return to education after his career is over, but that he hopes to stay involved in sailing. "I eventually want to get a degree that can help me down the track once the racing is complete. I am not 100% sure on exactly what I would like to study yet, but I am interested in going down a path that can keep me involved with sport. I am also interested in building my profile as a sailing athlete to promote the sport around the world and get more people interested in what we do." (laserinternational.org, 26 Feb 2018)

COACHING
He has coached at Fremantle Sailing Club in Perth, WA, Australia. (heraldonlinejournal.com, 31 May 2019)