Year 9 student Charlie Kimpton signed up for the 2024 European soccer tour to develop his game but, along the way, he gained quite a bit more.
The tour commenced with participation in a tournament, followed by individual matches over 16 days. “We played against clubs from England, Denmark, the Netherlands, France and Belgium,” explains Goran Stajic, Technical Director of Soccer and Futsal. “Our team was made up of boys from Years 9 to 12 who had never played together before. Each of our competitors had trained together for a long time but it didn’t seem to matter. Our boys were incredible. They really had the spirit and mentality to compete and you can’t coach that – they just had it in them.”
Charlie agrees. “We had a few good wins which surprised the other teams,” he says. “One of the most impressive things about the trip was the way we got to represent Australia. Goran always talks to us about the importance of legacy, and I think our competitiveness made the trip pretty special for everyone.”
Legacy is just one aspect of the game that Goran asks all Senior School soccer players to focus on. “Beyond wins and losses, I want them to think about how they want to be remembered,” he explains. “I also want them to play to the best of their ability, recognise the importance of pursuit – of both the ball and of personal goals, focus on learning the sport and, finally, enjoy the game and have fun while you are playing it.”
That understanding of legacy was further explored when the participants visited the Sir John Monash Centre in France and the Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Belgium. “We were able to stand before the graves of some Old Melburnians buried at Tyne Cot,” says Charlie. “To think that some of them might have thought they were just heading out on an adventure with their mates not knowing really what to expect but, unfortunately, they gave their lives. Thinking about that really gave me a new perspective on what legacy really means.”
“Travelling around Europe was awesome,” Charlie adds. “I was shocked at how quick and easy it was to get from one country to another. Plus, discovering new foods, exploring new places and talking to people in the cities we visited was unbelievable. I had always thought I’d like to study overseas after school, and I got a sense of what that might be like through this trip.” When asked to sum the trip up, Charlie responded: “The range of activities was so deep; it was a once in a lifetime sort of thing and I’d love to do it all over again.”
