From Linton to Old Trafford?

A YOUNG futsal star recently made a big trip from Linton to Sydney to play on the national stage.

Seven-year-old Liam Spilsbury competed in the 2024 National Club Futsal Championships at the Menai Indoor Sports Centre in Sydney last month, representing Western Victoria.

He was initially invited by the regional manager for Futsal Victoria to try out for the squad, and within the West Vic under 8 boys’ group, he got to play six games against six different teams from across Australia.

The Siena Catholic Primary School pupil was the team’s leading goal scorer.

He said it was a challenging tournament, but he had lots of fun throughout the week up in New South Wales, accompanied by some other athletes from the Ballarat region.

“My favourite part was wearing the captain’s armband,” he said. “It made me feel really happy.”

Liam’s mum, Tarly Spilsbury said the comp was an ideal opportunity for learning and developing new skills.

“It’s very different playing up there than it is playing locally, so it was good for Liam to play somewhere else against the whole of Australia,” she said.

“The quality of competition was high level.”

Liam started playing futsal more than three years ago when he was just four, and he has dreams of becoming a professional footballer with Manchester United Football Club.

Alongside this latest opportunity with the West Vic team, he regularly plays indoor soccer with friends in Ballarat at Major League and with Futsal Ballarat.

He also gets on the field outdoors to play the world game with Victoria Park Vultures Football Club.