I am stoked to be here in this new role. As a sports-mad person who loves news and writing, this is the perfect place for me.
To say I am a sports enthusiast would be a bit of an understatement. I follow almost every sport going around, with a particular love for footy, soccer, baseball and American football.
At this stage, I feel it is important to declare my sporting allegiances. I was born into a family of North Melbourne fans, and I have carried on the tradition of supporting the mighty Kangas.
I love soccer too, and I support powerhouse Melbourne City in the A-League. My favourite team in England is Fulham, without doubt the biggest London club, and I have a huge soft spot for St Pauli in Germany’s Bundesliga 2.
I have a strong family connection with the United States, so of course I love all things American sports. My mum was born in the States and grew up in Kansas City.
She has passed her fandom down to me, so I’m a huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs in football and the Kansas City Royals in baseball.
In basketball and ice hockey I follow the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Coyotes, and when it comes to college sports, I am loyal to my alma mater the University of Cincinnati Bearcats.
Of course, I enjoy supporting Australia’s national teams as well, and I make sure to watch as many cricket, Socceroos, Matildas, Wallabies, Boomers, Opals and Diamonds games as possible.
Sport has taken me on a journey all over the world.
Driven by my affection for US sports I went on exchange to the University of Cincinnati in Ohio while I was at uni, and later I lived in Phoenix, Arizona and worked as the manager of a sports bar.
I love travelling to watch my favourite teams play, and have been on some awesome trips so far — with mixed results.
In 2018 I took a last-minute trip to London to watch Fulham take on Aston Villa in the EFL Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium. I was in London for just four days, but the trip was worth it — Fulham won 1-0 and I got to see the club secure promotion to the Premier League, only for it then get relegated the following season.
Just three weeks later I was off travelling again, this time heading to Russia to watch the Socceroos compete in the FIFA World Cup.
I went to each of Australia’s three group games, and despite the Socceroos failing to win any of them, I had an incredible time watching, cheering and celebrating with fans and new friends from all around the world.
I stayed in Russia after the group stages and was lucky enough to get tickets to some of the knockout games. I got to see France top Uruguay in the quarter-finals, Croatia defeat England in the semis, and finally — after buying a ticket off a random person outside the stadium just hours before kick-off — I was in the stadium to see France beat Croatia in the World Cup Final.
In 2014, while I was in Cincinnati, I flew to Kansas City to watch the Royals in game one of the baseball World Series, a series they would unfortunately eventually lose.
I travelled to Kansas City again, this time in 2020, to watch the Chiefs win the Super Bowl. After the game I celebrated with what felt like everybody in the city, and a few days later I stood in the snow to watch the Super Bowl parade through the city centre.
In Australia, I have travelled to Adelaide to watch Melbourne City play — and unfortunately lose — multiple finals, and most recently I travelled up to Sydney to stand in the pouring rain for two hours to watch the Socceroos play a dull nil-all draw with Saudi Arabia.
My sporting journey has now brought me up to Echuca, and I can’t wait to dive into the local sports community here. I am excited to meet new people, share your incredible stories and have fun along the way.
I always enjoy talking all things sport and I love exchanging a bit of friendly banter, so if you see me around town, come say hello!
Also, make sure to keep an eye and an ear out for the yet-to-be-named Echuca Moama sports podcast coming soon!