Adelaide recruit Callum Ah Chee has opened up on the “tough” situation of his young family living away from their support network for the last 10 years while at Brisbane, citing it as one of the main reasons he moved to the Crows. After winning back-to-back AFL grand finals with Brisbane, the 28-year-old insists it was the right call to leave because his wife and kids are now closer to extended family.
Ah Chee was born in Western Australia and still has family there, but grew up as a Crows supporter and also has ties to Adelaide. The 28-year-old originally requested a move to the Crows during the AFL trade period but was left disappointed when negotiations between Adelaide and Brisbane fell through.
Brisbane Lions AFL premiership hero Callum Ah Chee says family reasons were behind the difficult decision to leave the club for the Adelaide Crows. Pic: Getty
The forward was eventually picked up by the Crows in the pre-season draft, meaning Brisbane got nothing for the 169-gamer. But despite the messy nature of his exit, Ah Chee doesn’t harbour any ill feelings and has fond memories of his time at the Brisbane club.
However, the Lions premiership hero and former Gold Coast star explained that after spending the past 10 years away from his extended family, it was time to move closer to home. Ah Chee shares four-year-old son Iver and one-year-old daughter Daisy with his wife Laura, and says having a closer support network for his family was key to the decision to leave Brisbane.
“Having family here – it’s a lot closer to Perth and that was a big pull,” he said. “I felt for my family, obviously being in Brisbane without any help really for 10 years has been tough, we got through that.”
Callum Ah Chee is joined by his baby girl Daisy and son and Iver during the 2025 AFL grand final parade. Pic: Getty
Family key to Callum Ah Chee’s decision to leave Brisbane
He told SEN radio on Tuesday: “There was a multitude of reasons. I’ve spent 10 years in Queensland now and I’m a Perth boy originally, so I’ve been away from family on the other side of the country for a very long time. I’ve got a young family of my own, so that was a big drawing point to get closer to home.
“I have family here in SA, my aunty and uncle live here, I’ve got a lot of really close friends. So that from a family point of view made a lot of sense for us, just to bring the kids up closer to home.”
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Ah Chee broached the idea of leaving the Lions towards the back-end of last season. And after helping Brisbane claim their second-straight flag in 2025, he made an official trade request to Lions coach Chris Fagan and footy boss Danny Daly during a post-season exit review.
Callum Ah Chee made an official trade request after helping the Brisbane Lions claim their second consecutive AFL premiership. Pic: Getty
“This was a decision that I had to fight with for a very long time. It’s not something that I just thought about overnight,” he said. “It was tough. I’ve had six amazing years at Brisbane and won two flags which not many people get to do. I didn’t even think I’d play in a grand final.
“I’ve got such great relationships with everybody at Brisbane and it was a sad and bittersweet time. I went in pretty transparent and had some good chats with ‘DD’ (Daly) throughout the year too. So it wasn’t a surprise (to them). I’m just glad that I went about it the right way and was open and honest.”
Ah Chee says the opportunity to join a club in its ‘premiership window’ and trying to help Adelaide win a flag was a tantalising prospect. “They’re on a really exciting journey. I’ve played against the Crows a lot of times and they’ve got a really exciting young group that I think I’d really fit into,” he added.
“Speaking to ‘Nicksy’ (Matthew Nicks) over the course of the year and what he had to say excited me. I think I will really fit in here and offer a lot with my experience. My journey over my career will definitely add to the footy club. So there’s a list of reasons but it just made a lot of sense for us as a family to come here and be closer to Perth.”
with agencies