BY THE time Tom Lloyd finishes his first season at local soccer club Surf Coast, he will have travelled enough kilometres to take him around the world twice.
Tom, 16, lives in Mt Gambier, in South Australia for him, football is a permanent away game.
Tom completes an 800km nine-hour round-trip twice a week, coming to Torquay for training on Thursdays and for matches each weekend.
"On Thursdays I leave school at about 12.30pm, then drive straight to training then drive home afterwards, and then go to school in the morning," Tom said.
"I arrange with the teachers to get the work beforehand so I don't fall behind."
Tom is a talented player, and after not finding enough competition in South Australia, he decided to test himself in the Football Federation Victoria Under-18 West North West B competition.
Tom is a talented player, and after not finding enough competition in South Australia, he decided to test himself in the Football Federation Victoria Under-18 West North West B competition.
After quickly establishing himself as the top scorer in his side, he was selected regularly for the Surf Coast senior reserve team, and has recently appeared as a substitute in the first-grade team.
"The competition is a lot better here in Victoria," he said. "I'm really enjoying it there's a lot more opportunities to develop as a player.
"Mum said that she wouldn't drive all this way unless I really wanted it, and I do."
Tom's mum, Diane, says that although it's a long trip, she's happy to do it in order to give her son the best chance in his football career.
Tom's mum, Diane, says that although it's a long trip, she's happy to do it in order to give her son the best chance in his football career.
"The first time I came up for a Thursday night and then a weekend, I was pretty tired, but Tom has his licence so he does a bit of the driving," Mrs Lloyd said. "Because the car is on gas, and we can stay at a house in Geelong, it's probably on par with what we were paying for tournaments and accommodation in far flung places all around South Australia, and it's much better competition here.
"We're not super parents we're just trying to do the best thing for our children."
When Tom is not in Victoria, he can be found coaching Burmese refugees as well as running football sessions with children aged between two and 10 after school.
Tom's under-18 coach Mark Strickland admitted that he was apprehensive about taking on someone travelling from so far away, but his only fear now is losing him to the senior side.
"I thought that travelling that sort of distance would be very hard to maintain twice a week, but we've been really impressed so far," Strickland said.
"The dedication from him and his parents has been really fantastic and I think he can go a long way."
This article has been reproduced form the Geelong Advertiser
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