On the Coast – Families Issue 98 I February/March 2019 | Page 28

Matt Simon
Dad – Athlete – Coastie – DILF
by Luke McMahon
T
he Dads of DILF CLUB recently
sat down with Coastie Dad,
Central Coast Mariners Captain,
and all-round legend, Matt Simon.
Our home-grown, Central Coast
boy and his wife, Ange, are proud
parents to daughter, Darcie (4),
and son, Will (2).
Let’s start with your perfect day
Matty. What is it?
Lobster Beach for sure. I take the family out
in our boat and head over for a day on the
beach with our friends. The kids normally
crash out mid-arvo, on top of the lifejackets
on the floor of the tinny, so it’s a breeze.
What do you love most about
being a Dad?
I love coming home after a rough day at
work or a bad game and giving my kids a
cuddle. They give me a massive lift,
especially after a crap day or possibly
copping a bit of off-field criticism. How my
day went makes no difference to them,
they just want to spend time with me.
What do you find hardest?
Being away from them for sure. During
the season, we spend a lot of our
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weekends away around the country. In
the off-season, we might have games
overseas or I might have other playing
commitments that’ll mean I’ll be away for
a couple of weeks at a time. It gets hard
being away so much.
So, what’s your secret to successfully
juggling professional soccer, nailing
Dad-life and keeping quality time
for Ange?
Yeah, for me, the secret is having an
incredibly supportive wife. Mate, she
does everything. She’s an amazing mum
and is so supportive. She just wants me to
follow my passion and make a career out
of something I love doing so that makes it
heaps easier. When I’m home I try to be
‘off-the-clock’ as much as I can and be
present with the kids. Once a month we’ll
try to get out for a date night, just the two
of us, to spend some quality time together.
What’s your worst Dad-fail?
Oh mate, well, a couple of years ago Ange
had gone away for a few days and I had