“Bully” Lockhart ready for one last dance

With the conclusion of the Futsal Premier League season upon us, the competition will be saying farewell to one of its most decorated names in Sydney’s South-West this Saturday afternoon. 

Having taken to the pitch over 400 times in all grades at the Campbelltown City Quake and 83 times for his country, Dean Lockhart or “Bully” as his known to much of the futsal community has decided it’s time to bring his career to an end.

As such, we caught up with him to chat about his career, the game this weekend and more ahead of the big day.

Firstly, we had to tackle the important questions like how his nickname came about.

“Bully has been around since I was a baby. I used to Bully my parents for food, and it has just stuck (not to mention my star sign is Taurus). I don’t think anyone in futsal would know me as anything else but Bully so it’s quite special.”

With that out of the way, we asked him about his career, He continued.

“It’s bittersweet hanging up the boots for a sport I adore so dearly but I feel like I’ve achieved everything I set out to in Futsal and really left my mark amongst the futsal community. I’d like to think I’ve been a mentor to many players and left a legacy amongst the sport for how I played along with how I handled myself off the court.

“I always wore my heart on my sleeve when I played and consistently showed what hard work and dedication can do by being rewarded with a 10-year Futsalroo career.”

Of course, along the way, he shared the pitch with some special players both in the competition and abroad.

“It’s funny you know, over my time everyone has been very loyal to their clubs, once you played for that team you stayed because you enjoyed the rivalries. Playing against the likes of Inner West and Enfield where your Lachie Wright’s, Peter Spathis’s, Daniel Fogarty’s all played. They were the games and battles you lived for.

“I mean one of my best friends and Futsalroo roommate Greg Giovenali, always had heated battles on court because he was loyal to Dural, despite several attempts to lure me away and play with him.”

Indeed, lining up for the Futsalroos over 80 times and scoring 23 goals is quite the achievement and he reflects on that experience here.

“In 2006, I was a 19-year-old blonde headed boy coming back from a 9 month stay living and playing futsal over in Belo Horizonte in Brazil. I got invited into camp to start training with the team as they prepared for a world cup qualifying campaign. I was one of the youngest in the squad rubbing shoulders with guys I looked up to at our Quake club like Simon Keith and Ben Singleton. Along with sharing the court with other futsal legends like Adrian Vizzari, Chris Zeballos, Brett Hewit, Lachlan Wright & Fernando De Moraes. I got a taste of Futsalroo life and all I wanted to do was represent my country after that.

“Two years later in 2008 I got handed my Futsalroo debut by Scott Gilligan against NZ over at Dural Leisure Centre. I still remember it like yesterday as it was a day after my 21st birthday and I scored on my debut after an assist from Chris Zeballos. From then on, I got invited on my first tour over to Thailand for the AFC futsal championships which began a long and successful tenor with the Futsalroos where we qualified for 3 consecutive World Cups and multiple AFF and AFC Futsal championship tours.

“I only featured at the one FIFA Futsal World Cup in 2016 after some heartache of missing out on previous squads, but I never let any of those times get me down because I was determined and always driven to don the green and gold at a world cup. Every time I put that jersey on, I beamed with pride representing my country and gave it everything I had.

“I loved touring and had some of the best times on and off the court with one of the most successful Futsalroo squads over the 10 years, having formed special bonds with many players, coaches and managers. It makes me sad thinking I won’t get to wear the jersey again, but I know the talent we have coming through in Futsal I can certainly hope they have taken some knowledge from my time as a player and carry that on.”

The last jersey he will put on is the one of his beloved Quake though and we asked him about his time there.

“It means a lot the Campbelltown City Quake club, they gave me my start and always supported me throughout my career. I grew up down the road from the center and it has always had such a family vibe to the club. The whole futsal community get along because it is a niche sport and I’m so thankful for every single coach, player, and fan I’ve spent time with over my career.”

This Saturday will be a special occasion at Minto Indoor Sports Centre and we’ll let him take us out and tell you about it.

“It’s certainly going to be an emotional time. The quake men’s team is going through a transitional phase with promoting more youth and it’s been a tough time, but I have enjoyed guiding them and hopefully teaching the boys a thing or 2. I would love to encourage everyone to get down there and watch. I’ll have my family and friends there which will be special.

“A few of the boys whom I’ve shared most of my quake career with like Mark Symington and Danny Martinez will be donning the kit again in a testimonial kick after the final whistle which will be brilliant because those 2 helped me become a better player and I wouldn’t have been as successful as I was without them on the court. I’m hoping I will be able to feature my old man and brother at some point in the game which will be ultra-special to sign off on.

“I will admit it’s quite sad to call time on any career. I think I’ve still got plenty of good years left in me, but I wanted to do it on my own terms and focus on creating a family with my soon to be wife.”

Campbelltown City Quake host Mountain Majik this weekend at Minto Indoor Sports Centre with the Open Men’s action kicking off at 5:30pm.

-By Justin Smith