Sydney teen’s sporting pilgrimage almost ruined by English weather
The Sydney teen, 15, saved up to fly across the world to see the historic fixture only for it to be called off due to the weather.
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A Sydney sporting fan’s footballing pilgrimage has been ruined by the English weather, but the 17,000km journey has a once-in-a-lifetime ending.
Diehard Everton F.C. fan Mackenzie, 15, saved up to travel from NSW to Liverpool in the UK for his side’s final derby versus Liverpool at the 132-year-old Goodison Park stadium.
He saved up his cash to enable him to go on a two-week trip to see his dreams come true.
The match was set to kick off at 12.30pm local time Saturday (11.30pm AEDT), but Storm Darragh and 110kmh gusts forced a postponement.
“I was a bit shocked because it is a bit unheard of for games to be cancelled like that,” Mackenzie told BBC radio.
“I was a bit sad. I wanted to be part of history.
“It was a last minute decision to come. I really wanted to see what it was like at the last derby.”
However, the Everton captain caught wind of Mackenzie’s journey, and the Sydney teen has been invited to a training session with the club.
Liverpool are leading the Premier League but Everton were looking to claim back-to-back league derby wins for the first time in 40 years.
Mackenzie’s father Matt Leese told NewsWire his son’s uncle gave up a season ticket so the teen could see the historic fixture.
“He said ‘look if you have that level of commitment and get here you can have my ticket’.
“I was gutted for him last night to be honest.”
The rescheduled match would likely be played in the new year when Mackenzie is back in Australia.
First team captain Seamus Coleman sent Mackenzie a video message, sharing his disappointment at the postponement, but inviting him to training on Monday.
“That’s amazing news. Every cloud has a silver lining,” Mackenzie told BBC radio.
The football fan did arrive in the UK to watch his side beat his father’s Wolverhampton 4-0 on Thursday.
Mackenzie’s Liverpool-born mother spoke to Merseyside media last week well before the matchday cancellation, explaining her son had been eyeing the trip since March.
“He saved up the money, used all his savings and said two weeks ago: ‘I’d really like to go, Mum – will you let me go?’ I said: ‘I can’t stop you if you’ve got the money.’ We’re very proud of him,” she told Merseyside Radio last week.
As of Sunday morning Australia time, the match had not been rescheduled.
Everton will play home games at a new $1.5bn stadium next season.
Originally published as Sydney teen’s sporting pilgrimage almost ruined by English weather
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