MacKenzie Kinsella has flew over from Australia to watch Everton play Liverpool in what could be the final derby at Goodison Park
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Updated 08:25, 07 Dec 2024
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15 year old Everton fan Mackenzie Kinsella has flown in from Australia to cheer on the Blues at the Derby
15 year old Everton fan Mackenzie Kinsella has flown in from Australia to cheer on the Blues at the Derby
(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A teenager from Australia has spent thousands of pounds to go to the Merseyside derby. Mackenzie Kinsella, 15, from Sydney may have been born over 10,000 miles away from Goodison Park, but thanks to his Scouse mum Rita, the teenager has been a die-hard Everton fan from birth.
Mackenzie was drawn to the club after seeing what it meant to his mum and her family. Rita was a season ticket holder, while his uncle Michael, who lives on Merseyside, still goes to games.
His first trip to Goodison Park came in 2013, where Everton beat Fulham 4-1. However, he was still left upset by the match. Mackenzie told the ECHO: “I remember in that game Gerard Deulofeu who got injured. I remember him stretchered off and being in tears because it looked horrible.
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“There's not that many Evertonians in Australia. But I've just seen what the club means to my family over here. I’ve also seen my mum getting up early in the morning in Australia to watch them. It doesn't matter - win or lose, we'll always be there supporting them.”
Mackenzie has never been to a Merseyside derby before. With this afternoon's game at 12.30pm set to be the last derby in the league - and possibly the last derby ever at Goodison Park before the club’s move to Bramley-Moore Dock - Mackenzie was desperate to get a ticket. He said: “There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I wanted to go. It was just a matter of, can I make it happen?”
His nan Jo added: “He's good at saving up and when he saw it was going to be the last derby, he wanted to come over. So he asked his mum and he didn't quite have enough money. My son Michael goes all the time. He'd been asking around for a ticket and he thought we'd never get one.”
Mackenzie began saving up money for the trip, but finding a spare looked unlikely given how big of a match it was. Michael eventually began to accept he’d have to give his ticket to Mackenzie until recently, until a fellow match goer gave him some good news.
Jo, 75, said: “Michael’s friend who he sits next to has got to work the day of the derby, and there's no way he can get out of it, so he's just really lucky.
Mackenzie with his nan Jo
Mackenzie with his nan Jo(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Mackenzie was over the moon when he found out. He said: “It was just an amazing feeling. One of the biggest obstacles was now out of the way and I could just focus on how I was going to get from Australia to here.”
Thanks to this stroke of luck and the kindness of his family, Mackenzie was given permission to travel and is staying at Jo’s house in Tuebrook. He said: “My flight was about 2,900 Australian dollars. That was a lot. It's only because of my nan and my uncle, who's a season ticket holder, that I'm able to do this.”
After spending around £1,400 on flights, Mackenzie arrived on Merseyside on Wednesday, having also got a ticket for the Wolves match that evening. Everton won 4-0 in the crucial clash at the lower end of the Premier League table. The victory was even sweeter because Mackenzie’s dad is a Wolves supporter.
He said: “I've seen us win quite a bit but I've also seen us lose. Liverpool's quite a tough game. I don't think that you have to be particularly intelligent to know that they're a good team. It's not going to be easy, but I do think we could win.
Nearly all of the Kinsella family are Evertonians
Nearly all of the Kinsella family are Evertonians(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“Honestly, I'm not in it for the result. Win or lose, I'll still be made up. I've had the chance to get to a derby. I've got to see the atmosphere and I've got to see my family. A win would just be a massive bonus. But there's no way it’ll make or break my holiday.”
Mackenzie will also go to a relative’s house in Birkdale before a big family party next week. It will be a bittersweet moment for the family as the club’s move to a shiny new stadium edges ever closer. Jo said: “I think they're all going to be upset when they move. They’re made up about the new stadium, but, Goodison - you can't get away from it.
“It's just the best ground in the country for us and it's one of the oldest, isn't it? There's an awful lot of history there. The whole family supports Everton, apart from my husband - he was a red.”
Another fear has emerged for the family and it's nothing to do with Everton's form on the pitch. Yesterday, the Met Office has issued a "danger to life" weather warning for Merseyside due to Storm Darragh. Jo added: "I was sick when I heard that. He's come all this way, spent all this money and the match might be off."
Jo loves having her family over, but admits an Everton win would make the trip even better if the match does go ahead. She said: “It's lovely having them. I go once a year to see them and my daughter tries to get over here, but she can't always do it because she's got her own little two lads.
“Him being here is the main thing and he's got a ticket, which is great. If they win, that would just be amazing. But we think we need a miracle.”