For many footballers, what happens in September alters the course of their lives.

That was certainly the case for former Essendon utility Mark Bolton in 2001, though his experiences then changed more than just his football career.

“I played in the preliminary final and Matthew Lloyd had missed a week through suspension,” Bolton remembers.

“I got tapped on the shoulder the Thursday before the Grand Final and was told I wasn’t going to play, which was obviously a pretty shattering moment.”

Bolton had been scheduled to volunteer in a community program at the Melbourne Juvenile Justice Centre that afternoon. Though his spirits were low, he went along anyway. He arrived to learn a football game had been organised for the boys from the centre.

“The conditions weren’t great but the guys were just having a ball playing footy,” Bolton recalls.

“I just thought well, I could be a lot worse off than I am now, even though I’m disappointed. I saw some perspective on what playing footy is all about.”

“I just thought well, I could be a lot worse off than I am now, even though I’m disappointed. I saw some perspective on what playing footy is all about.”

It was an experience that stuck with him. 12 years on, Bolton is the CEO of Ladder, a not for profit organisation that tackles the issue of youth homelessness in Australia. It’s also the AFL Players’ official charity.

Bolton’s passion for helping the homeless began in 2006 when he, along with Richmond’s Joel Bowden and Collingwood’s Paul Licuria, volunteered for the Salvation Army.

“We’d go out for a couple of hours to car-parks, laneways, squats – anywhere the Salvos thought homeless people needed food,” Bolton says.

“Through that process we saw the issue of homelessness firsthand.”

The trio began speaking with the AFL Players’ Association – of which Bowden was President at the time – about how they could have an even bigger impact in the community.

“We thought, can we make a big investment in this issue? There were a number of big issues at the time but youth homelessness was one that really caught our attention, because of the experiences we’d had.”

Each player in the AFL was donating “about 15 bucks a game” to the AFL Players’ charity trust, but the money wasn’t being utilised very strategically.

“It was going: five grand here, 10 grand there,” Bolton recalls.

In an attempt to create a more structured alternative, Bolton initiated discussions with the state government of Victoria, which led to a partnership with the AFL Players’ Association. From there, further partnerships developed, with Melbourne City Mission and Yarra Community Housing jumping on board.

With their support, the organisation – that came to be known as Ladder somewhere along the way – created a facility to house homeless young people in Melbourne.

“It took a long time to develop, but we had the first young person move in, in September 2009.”

For Bolton and the other players who had become involved in the project, it was a fantastic result.

“We were all aware of the gift that we’d had in AFL football and were really keen to give back to the community that had supported us in being able to play footy,” Bolton says.

“Clearly, the things that we’d seen in our work with the Salvos made it personal for us.”

Meanwhile, players in other states had also become involved.

In Adelaide, Josh Mahoney and Kris Massie were ambassadors for Ladder.

The organisation has become bigger and better as the years have gone on, but much of what Bolton had set up in the early days remains.

“There was a heavy focus on aspirational living skills, mentoring, those sorts of things,” says Bolton.

“In terms of the intent and the programs we offer on the ground, they haven’t changed that much over time. They’ve just been refined. We’ve become a bit more strategic in the way we do it.”

As the AFL Players’ official charity, plenty of footballers have become involved along the journey. When first told about Ladder, the response from players is always one of curiosity.

“They say: what are these kids like? What are their stories? It’s always well-received,” Bolton says.

“We just try to work out where different guys fit in and what value they can personally add to the program.”

Bolton believes it’s an extremely rewarding experience for the players involved.

“Taking yourself outside the bubble of AFL football is hugely important,” he says.

“I found that through my career. I think the self-development the players go through is just huge.”

Often, the players don’t realise the influence they’re having over those being helped.

“It might take months or years for that benefit to be recognised by the player or the young person.”

That may be the case, but there’s no doubt Ladder is growing extremely quickly.

“We’ve got two sites that house homeless youth – in Melbourne and Adelaide – and are just developing the third and fourth,” Bolton says.

“Eight sites is the goal nationally. That’s Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Western Sydney, as well as Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Geelong.”

The aim is to become involved in every city that has an AFL team, so that players from every club can become involved.

“Geelong’s nearly ready and Perth’s the next cab off the ranks. That’ll be happening in the next six months – those two sites.”

“It’s a huge growth time for us over the next few years,” Bolton says.

“It’s a really exciting time for us.”

To learn more about Mark Bolton’s work with Ladder, head to http://www.ladder.org.au/