12-year-old Mikka Kolle’s journey with Melbourne Victory began in the 2017/18 season during an AFC Champions League game.
“It all started when I was playing at Pakenham and the club said they wanted us to go and be mascots at a Melbourne Victory game,” she said.
“And that’s when I fell in love with Melbourne Victory!”
Dad, Dion, chimes in that the Kolle family has always been more of an AFL family and never really followed football before Mikka herself began playing.
“Her love of football got the whole family going to matches and following Melbourne Victory.”
Mikka has been playing football since she was seven-years-old, quickly displaying her talent and ability.
Five years later, the young footballer has earned herself a spot playing for Box Hill at WNPL junior level.
Being so involved with Victory, Mikka and her father have no shortage of reasons why they continue to maintain their memberships each season, but what stands out for them most is the personalised experience Victory provides.
Mikka explains that getting to know the staff and getting to meet all the players, getting their signatures and getting photos is why she likes to maintain her membership.
“It’s people like those in the Victory Village and the others that run the member club at AAMI, they’re what’s made Victory feel more like a family rather than just following a club. We actually feel part of the club,” Dion explains.
The Victory superfan has even formed a friendship with past Victory defender, Georg Niedermeier.
“To this day we still communicate with him in Germany. He always made a point at all of Victory’s home matches that he’d look out for us and when he saw us in the crowd, and he’d come up and call out to Mikka by name.
“So that’s one of the things that’s really helped Mikka fall in love with the club because they’ve made her feel like part of the group.
“There were times even when he’d come and grab Mika from the stands and take her behind the scenes as well, so it’s been a wonderful experience with her. She’s actually got to know some of these players that she watches and follows.”
Mikka’s favourite memory of watching Victory comes from the 2017/18 Semi-Final, when Terry Antonis scored the winning goal in extra time.
“It inspired me, it made me want to work harder.”
It is this drive and determination that has netted this formidable developing player a position with Victory’s own PAC program.
One Victory staff member even recalls Dion going to pick Mikka up from school camp in Canberra just so he could take her to the trials.
Thanks to Mikka, all six members of the Kolle family are now Victory members.
“We go to all the home games together, and if we can’t get to a game we all watch it on TV.”
With Mikka playing at such a competitive level, her scheduled can be hectic, so it can be difficult to get to many Victory away matches. However, she and her Dad have been sure to clock quite a few Westfield W-League games on the road.
Dad finds the level of skill on the women’s team to be exceptionally impressive.
“They’re quite amazing…and they’ve done fantastically this year so we love going to their games.”
Being a young female athlete herself, and regular W-League game mascot, Mikka finds the Victory womens’ games particularly enjoyable.
“They come up to you, talk to you and it’s really nice.”
Her favourite player is none other than Tash Dowie, an admirable inspiration for Mikka’s ambitions to be a future Victory player!
At this stage in her membership, Mikka is most looking forward to simply seeing all the players again and being at the games.
When asked if she plans to continue her membership in the years to come, Mikka’s answer is candidly clear-cut: “Yes, without a doubt!”
