Celebrating Father's Day with Burgess, Behich and Leckie

It offers us all a chance to celebrate the great men in our lives that exist today, but also to remember those who are sadly no longer with us.

The role of a father is significant in all walks of life and the sacrifices they make for their children are often awe-inspiring. This could not ring truer for aspirational professional footballers, where relentless sacrifice is a prerequisite and often the bare minimum required to even think about reaching the big time.

So, to celebrate Father’s Day, we recently caught up with some of our Subway Socceroos - Cam Burgess, Aziz Behich and Mathew Leckie - to hear about the impact that their dads have had on them and, for Cam and Mat, how fatherhood is changing their lives.

In Cam Burgess’ family, football runs in the blood. Cam currently plies his trade in the English Premier League for Ipswich Town, while his father, Stuart, and grandfather, Campbell Forsyth were also professional footballers.

When we sat down with the Socceroos centre-back ahead of Father’s Day, he reflected on the impact his dad has had and also how fatherhood is treating him.

On memories of his dad

I was always playing football with Dad and he took me to everything, all over the country, all over the world. He’s always been there supporting me since I was really young. I don't have any memories of Dad playing as he’d retired by the time I was born unfortunately. I don't know where we got them from, but I've seen some videos. They're probably not kicking around anymore. But I remember it was the days where the keeper could pick the ball up from a back pass and all sorts of mad rules that just don't make sense anymore.

And I’ve obviously heard a few stories on various podcasts. My dad was a bit of the joker in the dressing room - always up to no good! He still is when he goes away with his mates on golfing trips and stuff like that now. So you hear all the stories. I've seen him play in over 55s competitions back in Perth and some 5-a-side. If he doesn't pop his calf doing it, you can tell he had a bit of quality. Not much movement and his footwork could be a bit better but he's still competitive, still gets angry when he loses, still tries to boss it and do what he did when he played. You can tell exactly what type of player he was. I don't think you ever lose it do you? I've even had a kickabout with him a couple of times, which was cool. Good memories. My dad has definitely played a big part in getting me to where I am today - he’s been brilliant for me.

On life as a father of two and how it’s changed his perspective on life

It definitely changes things and you can see the smile on my face. It's obviously special to watch them run around and grow up and hopefully love football like I do. You're now playing the game from a different point of view and you’re doing it to support a family. When you're on the pitch, you're doing it to make them proud. Hopefully one day when they're a little bit older, and they understand what's going on, I’ll still be around playing, and they'll be proud to watch me play.

Right now I have two boys which is pretty cool. My eldest loves coming to watch - he’s obsessed with Ipswich and the Socceroos. One’s called the "blue work" to him, one’s called the "yellow work".

He’s got the bug for football already. He just loves belting balls around the garden and in his bedroom - any chance he gets. He just kicks it as hard as he possibly can. It would be cool to see him play football with a smile on his face and grow up loving the game.

He loved being at the Asian Cup, loved seeing all the boys, he knows everyone's name and just loves being at all the games. I don’t think there was a single day during the entire Asian Cup where he wasn’t booting a ball around and showing off to the boys. I’ve obviously got another little one now as well. I'm sure they'll be the same. So we'll make sure there's enough balls for them to kick around, otherwise they'll end up scrapping! 

For Aziz Behich - the only son among five siblings - the bond with his father, Yasar, could not be stronger.

Yasar is Aziz’s biggest, most loyal supporter and has followed him across the world on his journey with the Socceroos so far.

So it’s no surprise that Aziz’s love for his father shone through when we asked about the role he’s played in his life.

On what his father means to him

My dad's everything, not just in football, but in life in general. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I always say that. And sometimes I wish I could be half the man he has become. On the football side, he was there from the first day that I put on a pair of boots. Now I’m 33 and he still travels to the other side of the world to watch me play and still has that same passion. And when it comes to the national team, I can just see how proud he is of me for playing for Australia. He doesn't miss a game. It doesn't matter where we are, he'll be on that flight. It doesn't matter how we feel, he’s there.

I see him and my mum in the crowd, and how happy he is for me doing what I love doing. It obviously makes me happy to put a smile on his face because I know the life that he went through coming to Australia. I feel like I’m repaying some sort of credit. He's always going to be special, he’s a special guy and just breathes football, day and night. I love him.

On the early memories of football with his father

We used to go to Carlton games together back in the NSL [National Soccer League] days. He got us a membership. That was his team back then. And then when I was playing, I remember him always being on the sideline. Always giving me some sort of tactic or shouting something. He was just passionate and wanted me to be a footballer. But one thing I know, he was never hard on me. He was always there. And even when I made the [Melbourne] Victory youth team, he used to pick me up from school. Straight to training on the other side of the city. He would wait for training to finish and drive me home. He'd do that every single day. So, I'm forever grateful. I don't know how I'll repay him for that. But yeah, he's been there from day one. That's for sure.

On whether he’s rewarded his dad with a Cristiano Ronaldo jersey

No, to be honest, my dad's the type that always just wants my jerseys! That's the type of dad he is. He's just proud that I'm a footballer. In his eyes, he thinks I'm the best in the world. Which is nice. He's that type of dad that wants to always put my jersey on which is special for me. 

For Mathew Leckie, dad Edward has been there every step of the way on his journey to 78 caps for the Australian men’s national team.

Lecks is now eager to become the kind of father to his children that Edward has been to him.

On the role his dad played in the early days of his football career

My dad played a huge part but not by telling me at a young age that he wanted me to play football. My dad was always the type of guy that let us play whichever sport we liked. And I got into football, just playing with friends at school. He was always taking me to training - I was playing at Bulleen and I lived in Melton, which is an hour drive away. At that time, we had an Italian coach, and it was a pretty serious environment where we were training - around three or four times a week. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and my dad's a carpenter. He used to work until 4pm, then get home, sometimes not even have time to shower and drive me an hour there and an hour back.

Without that, I wouldn't have been able to play at Bulleen, which is where I developed and played first team football before then getting my opportunity to go to Adelaide United. But not just that, he was always the type of father that just came and watched - never told me if I played badly, or he never had an opinion on my performance. I guess he was a quiet spectator who just let me do my thing. That's definitely why he’s played such a big role in my life. If he didn't do those types of things, then I probably wouldn't be where I am today.

On the type of dad Lecks wants to be to his kids

The same as my dad has been to me. My oldest is at school now. I'll never try to push them into any sport. It’s all about what they like and, while football is a big part of my life, it doesn't necessarily have to be theirs. So they can do whatever they like, whatever makes them happy. I couldn't think of anything worse than if you tried to force your child into something that they might not enjoy or like. It's all about them, not about my motives. They do gymnastics. They've jumped around with swimming. My eldest is doing cheerleading. It’s just about them enjoying it. And I think sport’s a really important part of your child's life because it builds friendships, communities and they love it.