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Moore to life than footy

A career cut short due to an ongoing hip injury has seen one of Richmond’s much loved defenders, Kelvin Moore, take on some new ventures post football.

The transition from AFL into the ‘real world’ isn’t always easy for departing players, and for the 30-year-old it was no different.

“It was very hard to retire from football because I thought I could still offer a little bit,” he explains.

“I’d have to go up to him and give him a little bit of encouragement first” – Kelvin Moore recalls delivering  messages to Jake King

So Moore decided to stay involved with footy following his retirement, taking on a job as a Richmond runner.

“It was a transition that kept me involved a little bit, and it was great still having a lot of mates down there,” he says.

“It taught me a lot about the different side of football. You look at it through the coach’s eyes – and even the way supporters would look at it.”

Having played with the vast majority of the Richmond side, Moore knew the Tigers’ personalities inside-out. He put this knowledge to good use when delivering messages from coach Damien Hardwick, especially when dealing with the players who had a tendency to get fired up.

“Little Jake King wasn’t great… even Jack Riewoldt. I’d have to go up to him and give him a little bit of encouragement first,” admits Moore.

“You would often give them a little pump up and then say, ‘Alright, come to the bench with me. Dimma wants to talk to you.’”

“But every so often I would get a stern message from Dimma and I would have to deliver it straight away because if I didn’t, I was the one getting yelled at on the other end of the phone. It wasn’t good.”

Moore’s career as a runner was short-lived due to recurring soreness with his hip, which was what forced him to retire from football.

“I often walked off the field looking worse than the players did,” he says.

Moore occasionally experiences soreness in day-to-day movement, but doesn’t let it get him down.

“It gets a little bit sore but you just manage it. You just have to.

“I would have loved to play footy for another two or three years but it wasn’t to be, and now other than going to the gym I don’t really do any exercise because I just feel the pain for the next few days or weeks afterwards.”

Moore recently caught up with some old school friends who helped him choose a new career path in the field of hospitality. Eight weeks ago the former defender opened up the newest franchise of the American-style sports bar, The Sporting Globe.

Located in the heart of Richmond on Bridge Road, Moore says he was excited to be involved.

“They were looking at a site in Richmond and I suppose my ears pricked up and thought it would be a perfect location,” he says.

“The guys that we got involved with did all the research over in America and they’ve come back down here and opened this [bar].”

“Although you don’t realise it at the time, you do learn a lot  [from football].” – Kelvin Moore

With an American-inspired menu, TV screens on every wall and booths in which patrons can control what’s on their personal TV, The Sporting Globe has taken the experience of watching footy at the pub to a new level.

“Wherever you look there is a plasma on the wall so if there’s a sporting game on around the world we can show it,” Moore explains.

“You often get a group of guys that have Sky Racing 1, Sky Racing 2, Trackside and then the footy on and they don’t move all day.”

While there’s a certain ‘man-cave’ vibe to The Sporting Globe, it’s also a family-friendly venue in which kids can watch cartoons while enjoying a meal with their families. It also features a TAB area, function room and decking area on its second level.

“It keeps you very busy,” he says.

Without knowing it, Moore has adopted the skills he has learnt from football and put them to use in his management of The Sporting Globe.

“Coming from a sporting background, you resort to looking at things like football,” Moore admits.

“Although you don’t realise it at the time, you do learn a lot of things [from football], not just how to kick a drop punt. They build you up to be a model citizen within the community.”

Moore hasn’t completely ruled himself out from an involvement in football, and has considered exploring player development.

“I think I’d be a reasonably good development coach, dealing with young players and trying to get the best out of them,” he says.

“As for being an assistant coach or anything like that, you really have to love your footy. They work so hard.

“But football clubs in general are a great place to be around and you’re fortunate enough to meet a lot of great people. I do miss that side of it.”

The Sporting Globe is open daily and has four locations across Melbourne. You can visit the website here.