Dandenong City’s new Visa signing player Sean Seavill believes he has gelled well with his teammates and is thriving in his new environment at the South-East Melbourne based club.
He played a key role in City’s defeat of traditional rivals Springvale White Eagles on Saturday, and whilst the Englishman didn’t feature on the scoresheet, he was a constant threat all day in midfield with his skilful dribbling, vision and passing range.
Seavill deflected the attention away from himself, choosing instead to praise the efforts of his teammates, saying everybody at City was keen to prove themselves against the best teams in the newly formed NPL 1.
“I thought we did really well. We passed the ball around quite nicely. We just wanted to win the game more and that showed in our performance,” he said.
“We want to do well. It’s the first year of NPL 1 and we want to show teams what we’ve got to offer.”
Born in Bristol, Seavill has followed a unique footballing journey taking him from numerous clubs in England, to Manly in the NSW Premier League, and now finally Dandenong.
Seavill attributes the move from the picturesque, seaside Manly to the gritty, suburban Dandenong as a choice to be closer to friends from home who also reside in Melbourne.
“I could’ve stayed another season in Manly but a lot of my friends from home are based in Melbourne as well,” he said.
“I’d never really seen the VPL, but the standard in Sydney is a good standard. There are lots of good young Australian players as well.
“I played in the Nations Cup before Christmas and I met a lad through that and he was just like, ‘oh come down to Dandy City, it’s a really good club, I think you’ll enjoy it down there,’ and I was just like, ‘yeah okay, I’ll come down.’”
The 26-year-old says he’s gelled instantly with his new teammates and is enjoying his time at the club so far, striking a close relationship with coach Ivan Duzel.
“I like it. Ivan’s a good guy and all the lads down at Dandy City are nice guys as well, it’s a good environment to be around,” Seavill said.
Having already received praise from the coach for his ability on the ball, Seavill, who wears number 10 but plays more like an eight, admits he’s gone through a positional transformation throughout his career.
“Central midfield is my strongest position really. I used to be a striker, but as I got older I started to lose my pace, so I just dropped a little bit further back,” Seavill said.
“I had a triple leg fracture when I was 22 that put me out of the game for over a year. That was a while ago and I don’t think about it now.”
Seavill embodies the stereotypical ‘backpacker’ type journeyman that often graces Australian state leagues, often balancing work, club and travel commitments.
He describes his experience as a combination of enjoyment and hard work, and did not actually travel to Australia expecting to play football.
“I just finished university at the time and wanted to do a bit of travelling. I didn’t come to Australia intending to play soccer. I’d just come to travel,” he said.
“I first stopped at Melbourne and then I travelled up to Sydney and I met up with a friend and he just said, ‘whilst you’re up here you may as well play,’ and got me involved in Manly and I’ve just played ever since.
“It can be quite difficult. Obviously I like travelling and I try to find jobs – at the moment I’m working at a call centre, like a typical backpacker, so it can be quite difficult.
“I have to catch a train to training, and a train to games, and a train home, so it’s a lot of time and effort put in, but I’m enjoying it so it’s worth it.”
Fuelled by his desire for adventure, the midfielder looking forward to a successful season, but is uncertain where his long-term future lies.
“I love it here in Australia but whether or not I’m going to stay, I’m not sure.”
Photograph supplied by Drazen Jurina