1. Jake Aarts was born on 8 December 1994 and is a professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League.
16 Facts About Jake Aarts
1. 2.
Jake Aarts played state-league football with Richmond's VFL side before being drafted to the club's AFL list at the 2019 rookie draft in November 2018.
3.
Jake Aarts played junior and senior local football at the Beaconsfield Football Club in his teenage years but was overlooked by junior representative TAC Cup clubs.
4.
Jake Aarts remained with Bendigo for 32 games over two years playing as a wing and half-forward, but when the club folded at the end the 2014 season, Aarts joined the 2015 VFL-only playing squad for the AFL club Richmond's reserves team.
5.
Jake Aarts finished 2018 having played 16 matches and holding averages of 13 disposals, four tackles and one goal a game, and earned an invitation to the Victorian state draft combine.
6.
Jake Aarts attended secondary school at St Francis Xavier College, Beaconsfield.
7.
Jake Aarts was drafted by Richmond with the club's first pick and the 16th selection overall in the 2019 rookie draft.
8.
Jake Aarts began his first AFL-listed season by playing reserves grade practice matches with the VFL team in March 2020, including with a three-goal haul in the last of those outings.
9.
Jake Aarts finished the 2019 season without having made an AFL debut, but having played 16 matches and kicking 18 goals with Richmond's reserves side in the VFL.
10.
Jake Aarts was dropped back to reserves level after recording 10 disposals, instead playing in one VFL practice match the following week before the remainder of pre-season practice matches were cancelled due to safety concerns as a result of the rapid progression of the COVID-19 pandemic into Australia.
11.
Jake Aarts made a solid debut with 15 disposals and three score involvements in the shortened game, played with quarter lengths reduced by one fifth like all matches in that pandemic-affected 17-round season.
12.
Jake Aarts kicked his first two career goals in his third match, a round 7 win over North Melbourne.
13.
Jake Aarts remained in the senior side for the rest of the regular season, including as the game's equal-leading goalscorer in a round 18 win over Adelaide despite a minor shoulder injury sustained during the match.
14.
Jake Aarts held his place into the first week of the finals, contributing eight disposals and three tackles in a qualifying final loss to the Brisbane Lions.
15.
Ahead of the 2021 season, Jake Aarts switched guernsey numbers, adopting the number 16 last worn by Shaun Hampson in 2017.
16.
Jake Aarts plays as a small forward and half-forward, adept at tackling and applying defensive pressure on rebounding opposition defenders while being relatively strong at ball-winning in contest situations compared to most small forwards.