Silvio Foschini, Matthew, AFL, Soccer.

[n1ck]

Im amazed nobody has posted this from the Herald Sun today:

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/ ... 83,00.html

Former St Kilda player Silvio Foschini's son joins Victory
Grantley Bernard

DURING his AFL career, Silvio Foschini was known to celebrate a goal with vigour.

So it seems the branch has not fallen far from the tree with his teenage son Matthew.

"I don't mind to celebrate a goal," Matthew said.

"I don't score them that often, but I like to get a bit excited and do a few flips. The passion comes out in me when I score a goal. It comes from Dad, anyway."

The key difference between Foschini Sr and Jr is that Matthew celebrates his goals on the soccer pitch rather than the Aussie rules fields his dad ran around on.

Taller and more lightly built than his father, 17-year-old Foschini is one of the first seven players signed by Melbourne Victory for the inaugural National Youth League that will kick off this season.

A defender or defensive midfielder with the Oakleigh Cannons, Foschini is completing his VCE at Caulfield Grammar and will then throw himself headlong into pursuing his soccer career with the Victory youth league team.

The timing could not have been better for Foschini, who has been a Victory member for the past two A-League seasons and was in the capacity crowd at Telstra Dome when Melbourne won the 2007 grand final.

"I've loved supporting the boys and hopefully I'll be there one day," he said.

"It's so good to be my age now because there are so many opportunities coming along and football in Australia is just taking off with the World Cup and A-League and I'm just thankful for the opportunity Melbourne Victory has given me."

Silvio spent plenty of time playing soccer before making his name in the VFL. He created headlines when moving from Sydney to St Kilda without a clearance in 1983.

The resultant fight with the VFL ended in a high-profile court case in which Foschini claimed the league's clearance rules breached restraint of trade laws.

His victory allowed the nippy rover to stay with the Saints until his 107-game career was prematurely ended in 1988 by a shoulder injury.

There was a chance Matthew might follow the sporting path of his father but, while Silvio never forced his children to play a particular sport, Matthew's peers and natural ability seemed to choose soccer as his game.

"When we'd go to the park, it was always, 'Bring the footy and the soccer ball'," Matthew said.

"But soccer's been the No. 1. Dad tried soccer, I tried footy, but it's just something about soccer. All my mates did soccer, all my cousins. Dad was really the only one who played AFL, but soccer's more natural for me now."

The first seven youth league players signed by Victory are Foschini, Robert Wynne (South Melbourne), Antonio LaVerde (South Melbourne), Aziz Behich (Green Gully), Fabio DiLizia (VIS), Stephen Hatzikostas (VIS) and Mijo Marinovic (North Geelong).

Four more players are still to be signed.

[Eastern]

The sad news is that Matthew and his older brother, John are Carlton fans. Silvio is still a saints man and gets to a lot of our games !!

[Moccha]

The sad news is that Matthew and his older brother, John are Carlton fans. Silvio is still a saints man and gets to a lot of our games !!

Whatever happened to the brain wash factor?

Silvio failed the 1st test as a dad if he couldn't convince his kids to become Saints supporters. Come on, even I passed that one!

[Eastern]

The sad news is that Matthew and his older brother, John are Carlton fans. Silvio is still a saints man and gets to a lot of our games !!

Whatever happened to the brain wash factor?
Silvio failed the 1st test as a dad if he couldn't convince his kids to become Saints supporters. Come on, even I passed that one!

They have a mother !!

[Moccha]

Didn't think she'd have any influence.

[Eastern]

Didn't think she'd have any influence.

You've never met her? !!

[Schillaci]

The sad news is that Matthew and his older brother, John are Carlton fans. Silvio is still a saints man and gets to a lot of our games !!

Whatever happened to the brain wash factor?

Silvio failed the 1st test as a dad if he couldn't convince his kids to become Saints supporters. Come on, even I passed that one!

The brain wash factor doesn't always work....I've tried the clothes, teddies....everything except taken the little fella to a game (which is hard to do from Auckland) only to be told that the Saints suck and Go ALL BLACKS!!! I could kill the little s*** ....at least it's not Go the Pies or Blues coz then I would have to wring his neck.

[bergsone]

Bet he wont kick as many goals as the old man

[stinger]

and that's the very reason i hate soccer with a passion....they are the enemy...ffs...a foreign game..robbing us of our kids and our heritage...... don't like me saying so....tough sh!t....

[tweedaletomanning]

and that's the very reason i hate soccer with a passion....they are the enemy...ffs...a foreign game..robbing us of our kids and our heritage...... don't like me saying so....tough sh!t....

Agree..

The reason why I beleive that Dimwit is way too incompetent to run the competiton....He thinks the answer to everything is to throw more clubs in to the league....

[cowboy18]

and that's the very reason i hate AFL with a passion....they are the enemy...ffs...a foreign game..robbing us of our kids and our heritage...... don't like me saying so....tough sh!t....

You don't think there's a bit of irony in bemoaning how a lad by the name of Foschini is choosing soccer over Aussie Rules after his dad chose aussie rules over soccer?

Both awesome games, very different worlds though.

[Con Gorozidis]

good on him. go foschi. ill certainly cheer him on if he plays for victory.