Luke Ward could be a future Socceroo. 89137_03 Picture: KRISTIAN SCOTT
By ADEM SARICAOGLU
KEILOR Lodge soccer hopeful Luke Ward is one driven individual.
Ward and his family migrated to Australia from northern London in 2008, and young Luke brought that famous English passion for the game with him.
Ward was one of three Victorians recently invited to the Australian Institute of Sport to attend a training camp as part of the Qantas Joeys training squad.
His father Russell said he and his family were proud of what Luke had been able to achieve, and said soccer had been an integral part of his life from quite a young age.
“When he was younger, even when he was one year and a half, he was always kicking balls over the neighbour’s fence,” he said.
Luke admitted his selection came as a major surprise.
“I probably never imagined that I’d even get invited to the AIS first of all because I was surprised I made the All-Stars team, and then when I got invited to the AIS I was just shocked,” Ward said.
At just 14 years old, Ward spends four days a week, training in the Victorian Skilleroos Program, but he says finding the balance between his soccer and school isn’t too difficult.
So driven is Ward to make it to the top, he told Star his “journey’s probably just beginning”.
“There’s so much you have to know, like you’ve got to think about your vision, your balance, your agility, your touch, your ball-striking, your dribbling skills, your maturity on the field, everything,” he said.
However, the true extent of his commitment stems from what he does off the pitch.
“When your friends go out partying, you need to know when to stay home, and I always try to make sure I know about my opponent the day before the game,” Ward said.
“But I am still a kid, so you can’t just give up everything and you’ve still got to have some fun, but it’s just a matter of working around your schedules.”
