5Q | Sean Bielski on a 'sliding doors' moment, 25 years of OzSpurs, staying up all hours and 'memories for life' this week...
Sean Bielski left the UK for Australia in 1998. Four years later, Australia Spurs, OzSpurs, were formed. Now he's President of one of our biggest Official Supporters Clubs globally as OzSpurs celebrate 25 years in the best possible way - with the team in Sydney this week.
Q1 | First up, what’s your Spurs story, Sean?
Sean: “I'm going to say I was probably around about five or six, late 1970s... my grandad, Fred, was from London and he was a massive Fulham fan, and we were around his house one Saturday afternoon, watching the football, and he said, ‘you know, you need to a support team, but you can't support Fulham because, you know, that's my team’. It just so happened Fulham were playing Spurs that day, and I'm like, ‘I think I love this team’. That’s where it all started.”
Imagine if Fulham were playing another team that day!
Sean: “What do you call that - a 'sliding doors' moment? I loved the football they played. At that age, I probably didn't fully grasp the concept of what was going on, but I'm very thankful for the fact that it all fell into place!”
Q2 | How long have you been in Australia, Sean?
Sean: “I’ve been here since 1998…”
So you had to wait 17 years to see Spurs here? (after visiting in 1985, it wasn’t until 2015 we toured Australia again)…
Sean: “Yes, a long time!”
And now it’s five times in 11 years!
Sean: “I remember a story of a young member who set up a little savings tin, saving enough money to watch Spurs play one day, then, lo and behold, Spurs turn up in Melbourne and he got to see them play. What memories…”
Q3 | Tell us about OzSpurs…
Sean: “Our club is probably quite unique and we’re all pretty dedicated, getting up at stupid o'clock every weekend! The matches for us are always a day later than back in London because of the time zone (Sydney is +9 hours) – but we keep coming back! It's not just about football, it's about bringing people together. We've got people from all over the country arriving here this week. It's about the friends you make and stuff like that. I've got lifelong friends now all down to supporting Spurs, who brought these people that I would have never, ever interacted with, and now they're part of my life, and will be until I’m gone.”
Q4 | Let’s fast-forward to the opening weekend of the Premier League season, we’re at Brentford on Saturday (22 August) and it’s a 5.30pm kick-off back in the UK – what does your matchday/night look like?
Sean: “So, 5.30pm in the UK, that’s 2.30am here. Some fans might get a few hours’ sleep and then come out. We’ll gather together at a local soccer club at one of our chapters, Mornington Peninsula, probably about an hour before kick-off, bring the bacon and egg rolls, the coffee’s usually flowing – a few will have a beer! I remember the Europa League Final, that was a 5am kick-off for us, we had 200 fans here for that and every one of our venues sold out.”
Q5 | How much does it mean for OzSpurs to have the team here in Sydney for the best part of a week?
Sean: “Oh, it's massive. We’re celebrating 25 years, so what better time to do it, to be here, it’s massive for us. I’m sure we’ll create memories for life for a lot of the younger fans. That’s what it’s all about.”