When Charlie Austin was mulling over half a dozen offers from around the UK, a flight taken from Australia changed everything.
After meeting Brisbane Roar boss Warren Moon in London, the striker left the meeting and told his wife, Bianca: “I think this is the one, I am going to do it!”
After a 13-year professional career in the UK, Austin’s agent had been putting feelers out in Australia but Moon’s trip, and honesty, “massively” influenced the striker’s thinking.
“I had six offers back home – it wasn’t like I had no offers at home…it had come to the point where I said to my wife I need a (new) challenge, mentally, and to try something different,” he explained to KEEPUP.
Warren flew to England and I had a meeting with him and he sold me the project of the football club and the direction he wants to go in.
“He told me what’s happened, and (that) it wasn’t great, but he told me the reasons, which I respected.
“When I got that feeling from him – and I’ve been a pro for many years now and you get a connection with a manager, which I respected – I thought, I’m looking forward to it and it is something I think I am going to do.”
He added: “I had never been to Australia; I knew very little about the A-League…with respect.
“(So) when they said we are going to arrange a meeting to meet you in London, I thought: if he is coming over, that means quite a bit, so I needed to…give it full respect.
“We got on really well from the first day I met him…to now. Not only Warren; Shane (Steffanutto, Technical Director), everyone at the club. I can’t be thankful enough.”
From that moment, he had no doubts. It was a change of scenery for Austin and his family.
“(I was) straight in! I was all in…I didn’t need anybody to persuade me or give me the negativity of the league.
“I am my own man, I have been a pro for 13 years, I am going to come and do me.
“I won’t change; I will be the same, confident person here whether someone told me it was great, or it wasn’t. I am here to enjoy the moment and give everything to Brisbane.”
It is the type of personality the league has yearned for, and Austin arrives after a prolific career in England’s Premier League and Championship knowing there is an opportunity make an impact on and off the park.
“You just need to look at it now; I’ve come, Nani has just signed; the rumour mill, there are some other players coming. I have spoken to people and it may happen a few more come,” he said.
I am excited to be part of the journey and hopefully be it this year, or next or the year after, this is like a snowball effect and more players will want to come and enjoy what Australia has to offer.
He quipped: “It is literally the first time (I have been to Australia; I have) come to the Gold Coast – whenever I say that to anybody…all they keep saying to me is ‘we don’t think you’ll come back!’”
His arrival was the first headline coup for the Isuzu UTE A-League this off-season, and now, Austin, 33, is preparing for his first outing in Roar colours on Wednesday night, in a friendly against Aston Villa, before an Australia Cup clash with Heidelberg the week after. He laughs at the mention of a three-month pre-season, but, it is part of the new challenge he wanted to sign up for.
The Leeds game came too soon, especially given Austin got waylaid with food poisoning on his second day in Australia, but he is relishing the prospect of what Queensland has to offer – on and off the field – especially when his children arrive in just over a month.
“It has been a bit of a roller coaster … because I’ve moved to England from the other side of the world,” he said.
“To tell them, my little man is excited, (but) he is too young (to understand).
“My girl is going to be 10, she is a little bit nervous but I keep telling her – the lifestyle, the opportunities, you cannot get that in the UK, you really can’t.
“I love the UK but you can’t get (those) opportunities Australia is going to offer.
“It will be massive for them – the big thing for me is for them to settle, because I don’t want to come home from work and have my wife and children to be disappointed or moody. I don’t think they will. I think they will absolutely love it.
“It is an opportunity that may never, ever come again. That’s how we had to tell the children. I am just trying to get my head around it – I know when my kids come and see these kangaroos they are going to be buzzing.
“It is an opportunity for the Austin family to come over and relish the opportunity and challenge the A-League will throw at me and the opportunity Australia will give me and family. I wouldn’t be sat in front of you if it wasn’t something I was excited about.”
On the park, his goals are clear. Get Brisbane back to the glory days, do “as much as I can for the league to grow” and to hit the coveted 200-goal career milestone.
“I’m confident. When I play I play to win, I want to win at all costs, score goals, go in the deep end,” he said.
“Some people don’t like it, the way I am, and I only do what I can and the best for my team and I am not really worried what anyone else thinks beside my team and my coaching staff.”
And he has had some names as coaches through the years as well – experience that Moon’s young squad can feast on this season.
“I got signed by Ronald Koeman, went to Southampton, arguably one of the best centre-halves of Barcelona,” he reflected.
“Mark Hughes, Harry Redknapp – I have enough knowledge in me I can lend onto younger boys. I am at the backend of my career as such I can help them, and I get enjoyment out that too, I want them to grow…the younger lads are keen to learn which is a good thing; and I am here to help them as much as I can.
“But of course, I have my own job to do also.”
