To some players, it simply means that little bit more.
It’s a passion you can’t replicate; a true understanding of what it means to represent the badge which forms in the heart and mind of a young fan who dreams of one day wearing the colours of their childhood club – and then does.
Nishan Velupillay experienced it first-hand in Round 4 of the Isuzu UTE A-League season, netting a winning goal for Melbourne Victory against bitter rivals Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium.
The 20-year-old was mobbed by his teammates as he streamed toward the travelling Victory faithful, a sea of flailing limbs condensed into a pocket of the stands.
The line between fan and player was blurred in that moment, as arms from either side stretched across the advertising hoardings to meet in unified celebration.
It’s a line Velupillay crossed completely in May, 2021 after making his senior debut for the club he’s supported since he was a child.
“Last weekend was something special for me,” Velupillay said. “I’ve been a member, supported the club through the years and even made the trip to Adelaide as a fan and to be on the pitch and score the winner was crazy.
“As much as you dream it, sometimes you think it couldn’t happen the way it did but it did. This was an opportunity but I just want to keep working hard every day and pushing myself to be the best I can be.”
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Velupillay came off the bench to decide the Original Rivalry in Round 4, but the young Victory talent knows all too well that his match-winning display does not guarantee increased minutes in his side’s next fixture: a highly-anticipated Melbourne Derby on Saturday, December 18.
Likely to be sat across from Velupillay in the opposing dugout is Melbourne City youngster Stefan Colakovski, who like his Victory counterpart has experienced the joy of representing his boyhood club.
Colakovski, 21, has played two minutes under Patrick Kisnorbo in the current campaign after playing a pivotal role in the club’s success last season.
He fed off bit-part roles throughout the season, scoring his maiden Isuzu UTE A-League goal against Victory in City’s 6-0 Melbourne Derby win in March before coming to the fore late in the campaign, scoring and assisting in City’s 2-0 semifinal win over Macarthur FC, and starting in the subsequent grand final triumph over Sydney FC.
It’s an example Velupillay can aspire to follow; to be ready to make his impact any time he’s called upon by Victory boss Tony Popovic throughout the season. But should either of these young stars – with a track record for impacting derby fixtures – receive an opportunity to show their wares in Round 5, you can be sure that opportunity will not be taken for granted by a pair of club fans fortunate to be living out the dreams of every kid watching on from the stands.
“Playing for the club I supported as a kid is something special,” Colakovski said.
“My family have been club members since day one. The Melbourne Derby has always been the game my family looked forward to the most because the atmosphere is always fantastic. So to score my first A-League goal in a derby is something I’ll never forget.”
Fantasies were fulfilled on the Central Coast last year by former Mariners ballboy Matt Hatch when the then-20-year-old scored the fastest debut goal in A-League history, netting within 25 seconds of coming off the bench in his side’s 2-0 win over Macarthur FC.
He’s been on the fringes of the starting XI ever since, ironically because of the emergence of other youngsters. New head coach Nick Montgomery is eager to give his young academy products chances in his side – but those chances will be granted on merit alone.
The Mariners have the youngest squad in the Isuzu UTE A-League this season, with Hatch joined by fellow Mariners academy players Dan Hall, Jacob Farrell, Harry Steele, Max Balard, Josh Nisbet, Harry McCarthy and Damian Tsekenis in receiving minutes in the senior side.
Montgomery says his young players – of whom many featured under his watch at U16 and U23 level in the club’s academy – bring an extra motivation to the team he won’t find from external recruits, no matter their level of talent.
“They bring passion, energy, honesty, they know what the club is about and what their community is about,” Montgomery said.
“They’ve sat in the stands and dreamt about playing for the Mariners, and when you get that opportunity it does add that extra motivation knowing your family and friends are there, and you’re an inspiration for all kids living around the Central Coast that want to play for the Mariners one day.
“Harry Steele is from Terrigal, Jacob Farrell is from Terrigal, Matt Hatch, three players who grew up on the Central Coast supporting the Mariners and are now playing in the first team.
“Harry Steele, I remember seeing him as a kid and he had something about him. He was a little bag of energy in midfield, left footed, liked to tackle, combative. I remember seeing him as a kid thinking: ‘This kid has talent’.
“On the weekend, that was his home debut against the might of Sydney FC in front of all his family and friends. It’s special to know you’ve given them that opportunity, but ultimately they have to deserve it.
“When I got the first team role, for me it was natural to bring these players up when they’re ready. I think everyone’s seen this year how well Jacob Farrell has done, Harry Steele, Max Balard, and last year Alou Kuol and Jing Reec were two players who came through the NPL system into the first team and were sold to clubs in Europe.
“I think we’re pretty unique in that (sense), I wouldn’t put every other club in that bracket because you only have to look at the budget and resources we have here. It forces you into having to develop your own players, and that’s why I feel the role here really suits me.
“I always say to the kids that getting there is one thing, but the hardest thing is staying there. A lot of kids all over the world burst onto the scene, for whatever reason there’s injuries and suspensions and they get an opportunity, but staying there and being consistent is the hardest thing.
“The ones that do that are the ones that go on and have a long career. Some take longer to adapt than others.”
Harry McCarthy is another Mariners youngster whose debut impact was instantaneous. He scored just three minutes into his senior Mariners debut, in an FFA Cup Round of 16 clash on December 1.
Western Sydney Wanderers teenager Alex Badolato followed suit in his debut in for the red and black, scoring at the age of 16 in a 3-0 FFA Cup win over Broadmeadow Magic in early November.
His senior debut came five years after joining the club as an 11-year-old, alongside fellow Wanderers academy product Alessandro Lopane, 17. Together the pair will look to become prominent members of the Wanderers squad.
“Alex joined us at 11, about to turn 12,” said Wanderers Academy Technical Director Ian Crook. “Like Alessandro Lopane, he played U13, but was actually in the U12 age group.
“We bring all these kids in aged 11, 12 or 13 but so much can happen in their development. You don’t usually know which ones will make it.
“The difference with Alex was his football brain on the field. Even at 12 or 13 he had that positioning and knowledge that stood out. He’s still not the biggest unit but it doesn’t seem to matter. Last year he was in the NPL first grade at 15, half the size of some players, but his football knowledge is one step ahead.
“Sometimes the parents of young players can be a bit impatient and want to see their children play up an age group, but Alex’s were always very calm and trusted the process.
“For every kid that comes off, many more miss out. You get some wrong, you try to make a calculated decision… even if it doesn’t work out with your club, you want them to succeed.
“We have a number of academy graduates who are doing well at other clubs, ideally you want them to succeed with us, but it still makes you proud to see them making it.”
