By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
IT WAS the type of visit too good to be a dream.
Just like the MCG that night, Waratah Reserve was ‘painted red’ last Wednesday (24 July) to welcome the Liverpool Football Club (FC) Foundation for a once-in-a-lifetime training session with the Doveton Special Soccer School (SSS).
Doveton coach Juan Carlos Loyola said the Liverpool visit was one of the biggest highlights in his 20-year tenure with the SSS.
“The Liverpool visit came up and we took the opportunity. This is really good not just for our players but for our community here in Casey,” Mr Loyola said.
“Many families have come today, some of them have asked for special permission from work or school just to be here. Keep in mind people with disabilities don’t always get the chance just to play sport or be in something like today’s event.
“For the families to watch their son or daughter improve and play and enjoy, for them it’s fantastic.”
One of those families was 15-year-old Jayden Breen, whose mum, Lisa, and dad, James, both came along to Waratah Park to watch their son train with the Liverpool FC Foundation.
“It’s a great program for the kids, it teaches them life skills and team work,” Mr Breen said.
“Jayden’s always played football or soccer at school and when the opportunity to join the club (Doveton SSS) came up, he jumped at it. We can see him continuing with it for a long, long time.”
The Liverpool FC Foundation visit – which included Forbes Duff, Anthony Wright, Scott Fowler, David McParland, Eddie Sullivan and Karl Carney – came after Federal candidate for Holt, Ricardo Balancy, reached out to the club following a moment of realisation.
“After speaking with Carlos (Mr Loyola) a few times about the school and the work he was doing here, it was clear he needed assistance in terms of fundraising and getting a bit of a bigger profile,” Mr Balancy said.
“After I bought my Liverpool ticket I put two and two together and I said ‘why not try and get Liverpool out here and train the kids?’ So I wrote to them and to my amazement, they responded positively.”
During the visit, Doveton SSS players took part in a series of training drills with their Liverpool mentors for over an hour in front of a large crowd. Following the training session, the Liverpool FC Foundation was presented with a key to the city by Casey mayor Amanda Stapledon and an Australian flag by Narre Warren South MP Judith Graley.
“To have the Liverpool FC Foundation come out is momentous, it’s extraordinary, and the minute I heard about it I knew it was and it’s resonated around the community, it’s been on the lips of everyone within the City of Casey,” Cr Stapledon said.
“What it also means is that it validates what we’re trying to do to provide all-ability programs for people with disabilities because they should be able to have the same opportunities as everybody else.”
Mr Balancy, who wrote to Liverpool more out of hope than anything else, has tried pinching himself but he’s not waking up.
“It’s not a dream because you can’t dream of something like this coming to fruition,” he said.
If anyone is interested in more information on Doveton SSS, visit www.dovetonsss.com.au, or contact Mr Loyola on 0414 393 700.
