Maddi Prespakis with partner Sophie Cachia and baby Esme
MADDY Prespakis never thought she’d be a parental figure at the age of 24. But the Essendon star is now relishing life as a bonus ‘Mum’ to her partner’s seven-month-old daughter, Esme.
Prespakis had been in a relationship for less than a year with entrepreneur and mother-of-two Sophie Cachia – the daughter of former Essendon player and Fitzroy and Adelaide coach Robert Shaw – when Cachia decided she wanted to have a baby on her own, using a sperm donor.
Friends for years before a romance blossomed, Cachia initially tried to shield Prespakis from taking on the enormous responsibility of helping to raise a child.
But Prespakis was there every step of the way during Cachia’s pregnancy, and while the choice of her title will be up to Esme as she grows up, the Bombers midfielder is actively involved in the raising of ‘Essie’ – and even thinks she might be the favourite.
“Essie, we were saying the other day, she smiles a lot at me, so we reckon I’m probably her favourite at the moment,” Prespakis tells AFL.com.au with a grin.
“She’ll probably call me ‘Mum’, but that’s for her to make that decision.
“Soph always wanted to have this baby, whether I was in the picture or not. We were friends for a fair few years, so I always knew that was her plan. I was fully supportive from that perspective.
“Then obviously falling in love with her and forming a relationship, she kind of tried to push me away and was like, ‘no, I want to put myself first, I’m having a baby’.
“I was fully supportive of (her having a baby) – I thought it was an amazing idea for her. That’s all she wanted to do and that’s putting herself first, and I was just here to support her no matter what.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was sh***ing myself the whole time she was pregnant – watching someone grow a baby and the different changes they go through in their life and different emotions every day – but being able to support her from up close was really special. She did an amazing job; she’s an amazing mum.
“Essie was born in the thick of pre-season … she’s kind of changed my life already. [There are] a few sleepless nights, but it’s been probably the best thing.
“Waking up at 3.30am sounds like it’s just the worst, but I was holding her this morning and feeding her and she was just smiling at me.”
For someone who spent a lot of time consumed by the demands of football, parenting a newborn has given Prespakis a new lease on life and a way to switch off from footy.
“[Esme] and Soph have really had an impact on my life, and my off-field stuff. At the start [when Esme was born], I had no idea what I was doing, as most people do. I feel like you don’t get trained for that. But I feel like I’ve been able to pick up my own way of how I do certain things with her and it’s been amazing,” she says.
“Coming home after training and not thinking about football and just being able to completely shut off once you walk inside the house and you’re in family mode. Whether it’s playing games with her or watching TV or cooking dinner, it’s completely different.”
But it’s not just Essie who has changed Prespakis and her perspective on life. Acting as a role model for Cachia’s two older children – who she shares with former Carlton AFL player Jaryd Cachia – has also forced her to change the way she views herself, having been open in the past about her struggles with body image.
“Soph’s two older kids, Bobby and Floss, they treat me amazingly. They’re great kids. It keeps my head on my shoulders sometimes, it keeps me grounded,” she says.
“I’ve gone through some different things. I struggle a lot with my body image and I have in recent times. And being able to get myself out of that and they keep me pretty grounded, they tell me how great I am.
“But also I have to remind [myself] that they’re getting older and their bodies are changing and reminding them that they’re beautiful as well.
“It’s something that I’m definitely still working on. It’s probably got to the point now where I’m probably being a bit more open about my mental health. A few weeks ago, it probably hit me again that I probably don’t feel OK in a lot of ways about my body and how I feel towards myself.
“The messages I send to myself aren’t so kind at the moment, with how I think about my body. I’ve openly spoken about that to my family (and) obviously my partner and her kids, but now I’m starting to speak to some professionals to put me in the right direction to make me feel happy in Maddy and to feel lucky to have the body that I have and being able to treat myself kindly.
“I’m not going to be a great footballer if I don’t love myself.”
With the 2025 NAB AFLW season just days away, expect to see baby Essie decked out in full Bombers kit with Prespakis, singing the song after an Essendon win.
“She’s already got her baby Bombers membership, so she’s got no choice – she goes for Essendon,” Prespakis says.