DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Aussie packs up and moves to the US to support Green Bay Packers.

Great fan!
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AN Australian man has quit his job, sold his house and moved his wife and two toddlers to Wisconsin so he can follow American football NFL team the Green Bay Packers.

Wayne Scullino, 30, quit his job with a telecommunications company in Sydney. He, his wife and two boys are going to every Packers game this season and paying for it with the proceeds from the sale of their home. They plan to return to Australia when the season ends.

"One person said to me, 'Man, you're crazy! That's the craziest thing I ever heard. You're following the Packers? They're not even any good,"' Scullino said in an interview with local television station WISN-TV.

He responded: "Yeah, but things mean more to some people."

Scullino's dream to move to Green Bay started when he was 15 years old.

A friend gave him a video tape of a year-old game between the Packers and the Minnesota Vikings.

"There was just something about the game and the atmosphere and the strategy that got me immediately," Scullino said.

He said most Australians do not care about the National Football League.

"In fact, if I said, 'NFL' most of them would probably think I said, 'NRL,' which is our National Rugby League," Scullino said.

He has started a website, chronicling his journey by blog, video and photos.

"The thing with dreams though, in most cases at least, is that if you don't do something to make them happen yourself, they never will," he wrote. "So with that, and a whole lot of understanding from the very best, non sport loving wife in the world, we made an executive decision. A decision that flies in the face of all rational thinking but one that we should all do at least once in our lives."

It took some convincing to bring his wife, Kelly Scullino, on board. But now she says she sees the trip as an adventure.

"We're just people that are taking a risk and taking a chance, and doing it together as a family," she said.

The couple has two sons; one is 2 years old and the other is under a year old, Scullino said on his website.

The family will return to Australia after the Super Bowl in February and stay with Kelly Scullino's parents while Wayne looks for a new job and home.

Green Bay Packers' spokesman Aaron Popke said he has not heard of anyone else like the Scullinos. The closest was several years ago when a fan from Rome, Italy, visited Green Bay for a week, Popke said.

The family does not have tickets lined up for every game but they have been finding some online, and some through their new Packer-fan friends.

"We went to the Washington game with a couple we'd never met," Wayne Scullino said. "But they e-mailed us, saying, 'We've got four tickets. We normally take people from work, but you must come with us."'

Another fan set them up with a furnished apartment at a bargain price, while another gave them a truck to use while they are there.

Kelly Scullino said she cannot get over the generosity.

"Who gives someone a car? And my entire kitchen is stocked from a friend's sister, because she had a basement full of things and she wasn't using them," she said.

Wayne Scullino said he hopes to turn the experience into a book. He does not expect to have any regrets.

"At some point, you've got to stop living the life you've fallen into, and start living the life you want to," Scullino said.

This guy is nuts. I mean, who wants to spend a winter in Wisconsin?

My family and I are seriously thinking of making a move to Cleveland and the only interest we started with is the Browns. We have been investigating possibilites for sometime now and may actually pull the trigger on a move late this spring. Just need a little convincing that there are some good things that are going to happen as far as city development/growth. You guys have any ideas on those topics? Figured ths was as good a post as any to bring it up.

I was just kidding. Should have used a smiley .

It would be tough for me to move away from Austin if I didn't need to - that is a great city. The only place in Texas I'd even consider living.

Not sure what your trade is, but there are still jobs to be found in Ohio. The manufacturing sector is kinda bad now which is a large part of the Cleveland economy.

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"At some point, you've got to stop living the life you've fallen into, and start living the life you want to," Scullino said.

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WOW what a statement....that hits home...

Great story......What a wife & kids.....This also shows what us common avergae day middle class Americans are all about, Somebody needs something and it's legit, we help out, be it a truck, car, food, food items, cloths, furnature, were always there.

I knew you were kidding. I just think people get the wrong idea about the weather in Wisconsin. It's not Florida or anything but it is very similar to Cleveland.

Of course that isn't saying much when it comes to winter weather is it.

There are a lot of grea things about austin, We haev decied to get away from here, we are looking into a few different locations....Cleveland got on the list....It did not even take too big of a fit from me to get it on the list. Cleveland is actually the most affordable of the cities we are looking at...Which could mean a good investment or it could be that nobody does or will want to move there and it will always be low!

Employment is low on my list of concerns, my wife is a nurse and she will make good money there and I am in education and have some degrees that could get my foot in the door for some other opportunites, the concerns we have are all directed at the future of the city and the opportunites we have to grow as a family. Education for the kids is of course up at the top.....Along with the cost of season tickets of course.

Good to here about your wife being able to get a job (RN's get jobs where ever they want basically), and you as well.

My first thought, upon reading your first post was: what about jobs? Since you seem to have that covered, I have nothing else to add.

Well, the medical profession is certainly a good thing to be in in Cleveland. I beleive that the Cleveland Clinic is the second largest employer in Ohio, aside from the state.

Cost of living in Ohio is definitely a reason to move here. You won't find much better anywhere in the country, at least in a larger city environment. I can't speak for anything about education in Cleveland, but there are plenty of universities there - Baldwin Wallance, Case Western, Cleveland State, and to the south University of Akron and Kent State.

You could also check out Columbus which is more of a service oriented city as opposed to manufacturing like Cleveland, and is only a 2.5 hour drive to Cleveland. I've got season tickets and go to every game, as do many other people that post here. I've lived in Columbus for 10 years now (originally from Toledo, certainly wouldn't recommend you move there ) and have really enjoyed it.