10-year-old Tayton Macpherson selected to represent Australia in futsal

He started kicking a ball at three, was inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo and has now been selected to represent Australia. But New Lambton’s Tayton Macpherson is hoping for some support to make his dreams come true.

“Very excited,” says Tayton MacPherson. “It’s very exciting. It would be a good experience.”

It’s hard to wipe the smile off the 10-year-old’s face. And while that’s the case at the best of times, for the past month it’s been almost impossible since Tayton was selected for a tour of the UK to represent Australia in futsal later this year.

The New Lambton South Public School student was picked in the U11 national team after starring for Northern NSW at the National Club Futsal Championships in Penrith last month.

“I thought I was in with a chance, but I was really happy when we got the email,” he said.

The two-week tour, organised by the Australian Futsal Association and to be held in November, includes games against England, Ireland and Wales, training at futsal facilities in the UK and the chance to go to three English Premier League matches.

Tayton Macpherson has been selected to represent Australia in the U11s on a tour of the UK in November. Photo: supplied.

Tayton’s mum Belinda says the tour would be the opportunity of a lifetime for the talented attacking midfielder, who in addition to representing Northern NSW in futsal – a five-a-side form of indoor soccer – also plays regular, 11-a-side football for local club New Lambton FC in the JDL.

“This would open his eyes up to what life would look like in the future if he does progress and if he is good enough to make it,” says Belinda. “It would also possibly open some doors by meeting a couple of people.”

In particular, the chance to potentially watch his beloved Manchester United play while in England would be a dream come true for the 10-year-old.

Although he first started kicking a ball at the age of three as part of the Sporty Kids program at Wallsend, Tayton’s love all things related to the round ball really kicked off a few years later when he came across a video of Portuguese and former Manchester United football legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

“I was just watching this YouTube video one day and I saw Ronaldo and really liked him, so I started playing soccer,” says Tayton. “He’s my idol.”

Belinda confirms: “He would watch all these Ronaldo videos and then go out in the backyard and master all of these tricks.”

Starting club football for New Lambton at five, Tayton eventually made his way onto the futsal pitch – initially as a bit of fun on the side.

“My soccer coach made a team for futsal, so I played a game, really liked it, started playing a lot more and then this happened.”

Tayton is a huge fan of Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: supplied.

At present, Tayton plays futsal a couple of nights a week in addition to his training with New Lambton – with his mind firmly focused on his trip later this year.

“I’ll just keep training and hopefully I get better by the time we go over to the UK,” he said.

But while the trip is an incredible opportunity, it also comes at quite a cost.

With flights, accommodation, trainers’ fees, official Australian uniform, travel insurance, transport while in the UK and two meals a day, among other things, the two-week tour is estimated to cost around $10,000.

In addition to organising fundraisers, Tayton’s family has also set up a Go Fund Me page in the hope that some community support can help get him over there.

“It’s an awesome opportunity but it does come with an expensive price tag to represent your country,” says Belinda.

Indeed, it’s not uncommon for players to be selected for these tours but ultimately have to pull out because their families simply cannot afford the financial commitment.

The 10-year-old also plays 11-a-side football for New Lambton in the JDL. Photo: supplied.

While fundraising efforts continue, Tayton, who also supports the Newcastle Jets in the A-League, has his eyes towards the future. And while he will hopefully represent the national U11 futsal team in November, he hopes that’s not the only time he can wear the green and gold over the course of his career.

“I would love to play for Australia when I’m older and maybe get a Ballon d’Or,” he said.

It seems he’s heading well and truly in the right direction. When asked how many goals he scored last year, Tayton responded: “I don’t know, but this year we’re going to track it.”

Indeed, with his strong performances, the skilful young midfielder has already attracted plenty of attention on the junior football pitches of Newcastle.

“Once when I was playing soccer people were taking photos with a camera and one of the photos was of me doing a karate kick,” he said, later confirming that his kick did indeed make contact with the ball and not any opposing players.

A link to the Go Fund Me page for Tayton’s trip can be found here, while you can follow Tayton’s journey via his Instagram page.