All elite sportspeople need a little reminder of Ballarat effect at times

When asked to visit the children's ward in town this week, the Western Bulldog became emotional.

This serves as a vital reminder for elite athletes.

Community visits - connecting with people you represent - matter.

Weston-Turner, who is days shy of turning 19 years old, says she was emotional to visit our major hospital because it was an honour just to be asked.

Her first official visit was with a club community camp.

This past week was the Bulldogs' first standalone AFLW camp in Ballarat.

It felt more raw in the most brilliant way.

Western Bulldogs' male footballers are great on community visits. They are well-drilled in school clinics and talks with young people. A small pack have a lot of fun chatting about books with our primary school pupils in the Ballarat-exclusive Bulldogs Read literacy program.

You do get glimpses of when this becomes more than a job.

Seasoned player Adam Treloar enjoyed the Bulldogs Read launch in February for a chance to speak more one-on-one with children. He also had liked reading at school and was passionate about the chance the Bulldogs offered him to encourage children to pick up a good book.

Arthur Jones was great at putting Indigenous students at ease in a low-key visit to St Patrick's College last summer.

For AFLW players, these chances to lead such visits is rarer.

When Bulldogs Jess Fitzgerald, Elaine Grigg and captain Ellie Blackburn left St Alipius on Tuesday they had sparked a revolution.

St Alipius grade five girls told The Courier they had been inspired to get out on the oval and play football at lunchtimes - an activity dominated by the boys at their school.

"Girls can do anything," Belle said.

Fitzpatrick gave Loreto girls life advice for when people might say girls cannot play footy: "if you wouldn't let them into your home, don't let them into your head."

New Bulldogs defender Mua Laloifi, a former Blue, had young girls practising their barks after an open training session at Mars Stadium.

Being an elite athlete is synonymous with being a role model. How they choose to inspire can have greater affect.

This is about more than the marketised feeling of building a fan base.

The potential ripple effects from such authentic interactions are immeasurable but we do know this is creating a culture change. We hope this has Ballarat children - girls and boys - thinking bigger.

We have one AFLW match in Ballarat in the upcoming season. The season is only 11 rounds, despite the competition's expansion to 18 clubs. The Bulldogs' have also refashioned their Footscray spiritual home Whitten Oval as their primary home base.

This does not leave a lot of room for Ballarat.

The community camp has been an important chance for the club to make a difference, but also hopefully for players to realise how vital it can be to truly show up in regional Victoria.

Weston-Turner might be new in the game - she is still studying year 12 - but hopefully she does not lose that humbling reminder such camps can bring.

All elite sportspeople need a little reminder of this at times.