MATT Aird has busked in Rundle Mall but this week the 19-year-old from Adelaide's south will begin his campaign to take on the world's best freestyle footballers in South Africa.
Aird's biggest audience to date has been a handful of shoppers in the city centre but on Thursday the soccer ball juggler will be South Australia's sole hope in the Red Bull Street Style qualifier in Melbourne.
If he wins the try-out stage on either Thursday or Friday, Aird will be flown to Sydney to face the leading contenders from NSW and Queensland. After launching in Australia this year, Red Bull Street Style national trials will be staged in 45 countries over the coming months.
The Aussie winner will be invited to an international shootout at the 2010 world finals in Cape Town in March.
"I've only done a couple of performances, but not nearly as big as the one I'm going doing for Red Bull," Aird said.
"With performing, for some reason you can do the combos that you can't do when you're practising at home. Being in front of a crowd, it's like stepping up another gear.
"Sometimes I get comments if I'm busking at Rundle Mall, you get people who say 'You can't do that on a pitch', or 'I can do that', that kind of thing. I think it's a compliment. I love it."
Happy Valley's Aird, studying mechanical engineering at university, took up the sport three years ago after seeing a highlights package on YouTube.
He played soccer through high school but said freestyle's extreme range of skills meant the two sports were worlds apart.
"It's like comparing figure skating to ice hockey - they both involve skating but they're totally different," Aird said.
The street style competition is similar to Australian Idol - but with a soccer ball.
Rivals perform stunts in solo and head-to-head battles, on a stage with pumping music.
Judges award points for individual tricks and combinations, and apply penalties for dropping the ball or use of hands. The world leaders also merge juggling talent with breakdance-inspired moves.
See his Video here.
Aird's biggest audience to date has been a handful of shoppers in the city centre but on Thursday the soccer ball juggler will be South Australia's sole hope in the Red Bull Street Style qualifier in Melbourne.
If he wins the try-out stage on either Thursday or Friday, Aird will be flown to Sydney to face the leading contenders from NSW and Queensland. After launching in Australia this year, Red Bull Street Style national trials will be staged in 45 countries over the coming months.
The Aussie winner will be invited to an international shootout at the 2010 world finals in Cape Town in March.
"I've only done a couple of performances, but not nearly as big as the one I'm going doing for Red Bull," Aird said.
"With performing, for some reason you can do the combos that you can't do when you're practising at home. Being in front of a crowd, it's like stepping up another gear.
"Sometimes I get comments if I'm busking at Rundle Mall, you get people who say 'You can't do that on a pitch', or 'I can do that', that kind of thing. I think it's a compliment. I love it."
Happy Valley's Aird, studying mechanical engineering at university, took up the sport three years ago after seeing a highlights package on YouTube.
He played soccer through high school but said freestyle's extreme range of skills meant the two sports were worlds apart.
"It's like comparing figure skating to ice hockey - they both involve skating but they're totally different," Aird said.
The street style competition is similar to Australian Idol - but with a soccer ball.
Rivals perform stunts in solo and head-to-head battles, on a stage with pumping music.
Judges award points for individual tricks and combinations, and apply penalties for dropping the ball or use of hands. The world leaders also merge juggling talent with breakdance-inspired moves.
See his Video here.
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