- Mark Heaney was convicted over the grooming
- Father and son have both filed lawsuits
The Sydney Swans are facing a multimillion‑dollar legal claim over the sexual grooming of a junior player by a former development coach.
The boy’s father lodged proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court last month, alleging the club failed to protect his son from convicted offender Mark Heaney.
The claim follows a separate lawsuit filed by the son in December.
According to a Supreme Court writ, Heaney was accused of ‘pressing his penis against the boy when teaching him how to hold a football, stripping naked in front of him, watching him while he was showering, sending explicit photos and instigating sexualised conversations’.
Heaney coached at the Swans’ Junior Academy between 2011 and 2013.
In 2014, he was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to grooming a child using a carriage service.
Former Sydney Swans junior academy coach Mark Heaney is facing civil action after he was convicted of grooming an underage player
Heaney was working as a Sydney Swans Junior Academy Coach at the time of the conviction
Police arrested him during a sting operation posing as a child online.
The father says he has lived with ongoing trauma since learning of the grooming.
He claims the incident has deeply affected his mental health and relationship with his son.
‘It has been a hard road for me and my son since the [grooming],’ he told News Corp.
‘I’m angry nobody from the Swans or the AFL ever had the decency to contact us and apologise or take responsibility or offer counselling.’
The son says the grooming ended his dream of playing AFL.
‘I was just a kid chasing a dream, and that dream was shattered,’ he said.
‘This case is about accountability … and making sure no other child carries this kind of silence.’
Their lawyer, Cameron Doig from Arnold Thomas & Becker, said the father is seeking damages for ‘nervous shock’ – trauma caused by discovering his son’s grooming.
Mr Doig said his clients have struggled with anxiety, sleeplessness and fractured family bonds.
Both father and son’s lawsuits allege the Swans failed to provide a safe environment for young players.
The Swans confirmed Heaney was employed casually from 2011 to 2013 but declined further comment while the matter is before the court.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the AFL and Sydney Swans for comment.
The cases will return to court in August.
