The South Coogee teenager, who began his football career at the Maroubra Saints Junior Football Club, joins three of his Academy team mates at the Swans in 2015, following the selection of Isaac Heeney, Jack Hiscox and Abe Davis in last week’s AFL Draft on the Gold Coast.
Speaking to SwansTV on Wednesday morning, Foote said being rookie-listed by the Swans was a dream come true.
“I just can’t believe it,” Foote said.
“I’ve just been working for it for so long and it’s all I’ve wanted for so long, so it doesn’t feel real that it’s actually happened and that I’ve been given the opportunity.
“It’s just unbelievable.”
Foote is yet another success story for the Academy, with the 18-year-old making significant improvements in his game since joining the program four years ago.
His progression through the Academy saw him selected in the NSW/ACT Rams in this year’s AFL Under-18 Championships, and also saw him selected to play in the Allies side that took on the AFL Academy Under-17 All-Australian team in the curtain raiser to this year's AFL Grand Final.
The 182-centimetre midfielder also pulled on the red and white on various occasions for the Swans Reserves during the 2014 NEAFL season.
Reflecting on his time in the Academy program, Foote said he couldn’t thank all involved enough for the time and effort they put into his development over the last four years.
“The fact that AFL has grown and the fact that there are people who have been willing to help out is evidence of how much AFL has grown in New South Wales,” he said.
“With the Swans Academy, they’ve given an opportunity to a lot of people and I just can’t thank them enough.
“They have done a lot for me, especially Chris Smith, Michael O’Loughlin, and Paul Roos in the earlier days, taught me all I need to know to have what I need to fit into a footy club.”
While Foote will officially join pre-season training this week, he will be eased into a limited program after getting injured late in the 2014 season, and said he was looking forward to immersing himself in the training program.
“I usually don’t dread pre-season too much compared to some of the other guys,” he said.
“I don’t mind the running too much, but being injured towards the end of last season means that I won’t slot straight into it.
“I’ll be easing into it, but I’m excited to get into it.
“I hope to just have the best season I can (in 2015), and I want to do everything I can and show what I’ve got and get to know the players and prove to them that I can fit into their footy club.”
