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‘I’m Here With You, Mate’

By Diana Oliva Cave, The New York Times, 05/21/18, 12:00PM PDT

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As his skills as a sportsman grow, I hope he continues to channel the joy of his goofy, unskilled 6-year-old self. It’s the heart of what sport and mateship in Australia really is.

I remember so clearly the day this photo was taken. It was my son’s first soccer match. He was 6 years old and had just joined our local suburban soccer club with 10 of his friends from kindergarten.

The boys had no idea about the rules of junior soccer, and could barely kick a ball. They spent most of the match facing the wrong way on the pitch. But they were having the time of their lives.