When his son was scouted by the QBE Sydney Swans Academy at a Paul Kelly Cup match over summer, Con Costa never would have imagined how much his son Drew would come to love the game.

In the space of a few short months, 12-year-old Drew has changed from a fanatical rugby league fan to a passionate member of the Swans Academy.

While Drew still loves playing league, Con said his son has made it quite clear which game he now prefers.

“He was identified when he was playing AFL for school in the summer competition. He was playing in the Paul Kelly Cup and was recruited down there and was thrilled to be picked up,” Con said.

“He’s been rugby league all his life, so it knocked me off my chair when I heard what was his new favourite game now and he’s just taken to it like a duck to water and hopefully there’s no turning back.”

Drew Costa was one of the recent good stories to come out of the Kieren Jack Talent Search Program, which targets boys aged 12-to-13 to join the Academy to develop their AFL potential.

Swans Academy Talent ID Coordinator Chris Goodrope said it was Drew’s competitive instinct that attracted the Academy’s attention.

“(Drew) came from the Paul Kelly Cup program and is a really exciting young boy who attacks the footy hard and is good below the knees,” he said.

“He really had that hunger for the game and took some great marks, and we love seeing that sort of thing.”

The Paul Kelly Cup carnival, which is made possible by AFL NSW/ACT, provides the perfect framework for scouts to identify talented young athletes, but Goodrope said the Academy also goes to other lengths to identify potential Academy footballers.

“There is a bit of a process which we go through,” he said.

“Basically we start with the younger age group and we look at the boys through the Paul Kelly Cup or the Kieren Jack Talent Search Program.

“Other means we go through to find these boys are through alternate sports like basketball, cricket, rugby league is a big one for us, as well as soccer.”

Goodrope said scouts look for children with natural talent at sporting carnivals, as well as young athletes who possess attributes suited to the game of AFL.

“We do look for the naturally talented boys whether they possess good skills like good hand-eye coordination as well as having those clean hands, which we know is important in AFL football these days,” he said.

“Certainly the boys who can take a big strong mark in front of me get the tick in the box, so those types of attributes are what we’re looking for.”

This year, approximately 30 boys who were identified through the program are now training with the QBE Sydney Swans Academy, with a number of them coming across from other sports.

While each child who chooses to come across to play AFL football is a win for the Academy, Swans Academy Talent ID and Operations Manager Chris Smith said the talent search program was not focused on taking kids out of other sports.

“The Swans Academy is very understanding of our kids’ other sporting commitments and believe that being flexible reduces the pressure placed on these young athletes,” he said.

“To be honest, we think it's important that they play numerous sports at a young age as it develops a greater range in their athleticism and skill set.

“We also believe that it should be the boy who ultimately decides what sport he wants to play – as opposed to a particular sport and/or school deciding for them.”

As for the case of Drew Costa, dad Con said he can’t see his son moving away from the Swans Academy any time soon.

“I’m amazed that a club puts so much time, effort, experience and people into it,” Con said of the Academy.

“It’s not just a few weeks of the year like representative season in league, it’s the whole year round and money can’t buy that sort of skill education and Drew just loves it.

“The hardest part right now is to get his Academy t-shirt off him!”