Sam Ramsay wants to play for Melbourne Football Club in the AFL.
At 12, the budding sports star is showing promise in football and cricket, and has gained entry to the Maribyrnong Sports Academy at Maribyrnong College.
The Gisborne resident was selected in both sports for a place, starting next year.
Sam will travel from Gisborne to attend the academy, an elite environment for rising stars, where he will receive specialist coaching before and after school.
His mum, Nina, says her son has always loved sports and started playing football when he was seven. “He’s a really good runner and has competed in Little Athletics at state level for the past four years,” she said. “He’s a really sporty kid, a natural athlete.”
Sam’s list of sports achievements for the year includes making the top-40 selection camp for AFL School Sport Victoria (SSV) from a field of more than 3000 students.
He was the Riddell District Football League under-12, division 1 ‘best and fairest’ and Gisborne Rookies under-12A ‘best and fairest’ and premiership player. He made the SSV cricket 12-year-old boys’ state team and the Central Highlands cricket squad.
In athletics, he progressed to the state championships in October, competing in the 200 metres, 80-metre hurdles and relay.
But it’s the team sports that Sam enjoys the most. “It’s the mateship,” Mrs Ramsay said. “That’s why he didn’t follow through with athletics because it’s a lonely sport; you compete on your own.’’
Sam will travel from Gisbourne to Maribyrnong every day to attend his new school.
