TOM HIRD filled his suitcase inside his family's Toorak home, ready to leave the country that had scrutinised his father's every move. 

This was March 2014. Tom, then aged 12, packed his belongings for France — but his passion for Australian Football, a sport he had cherished since birth, was left behind.

The insatiable appetite for soccer in Paris soon grew on the Hird boys, with Tom and his younger brother Alexander partaking in France's favourite sporting pastime. 

After his family moved back to Australia, Hird developed into a something of a soccer starlet, trialling at then-Premier League club Stoke City at 15, before chancing his arm at Dutch giant Ajax in December last year.

Hird spent seven weeks in Holland where he linked up with the Wooter Academy — a program that hones young soccer talent — which, in turn, organised his opportunity at the world's most prestigious junior academy. 

Ajax doesn't let just anyone into its program. The club has long run European soccer's pre-eminent production line, nurturing the likes of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, champion striker Dennis Bergkamp and, more recently, star defender Matthijs De Ligt. 

During every moment of their time at Ajax, both youth and senior-level players are scrutinised heavily. Technical brilliance is emphasised, and physical preparation is treated with the utmost intensity.  

"Even in their warm-ups, their attention to detail, it was quite eye-opening actually," Hird said. 

"They make sure at any point in time they're moving the same leg. So they're all swinging, kicking or jumping with the same leg at the exact same time." 

Hird learned plenty during his stint in Amsterdam. Despite living with some of his Ajax teammates for part of the trip, he noticed a coldness to their demeanour. He trained with the U23 and U19 sides and said his colleagues were friendly, but very much business-focused. When it came to the pitch, there was little time to fraternise. 

Hird progressed well during his seven-week stint but was left without a contract from Ajax. European clubs are given a select amount of visa spots for non-European Union players and this ultimately ended his Dutch dream. 

"They said to me, 'You're a talented player; if you were Dutch or European you'd have a shot but basically we can fill your spot with a player who doesn't require a visa'," Hird said.

Wooter offered him a place for the next six months, but Hird decided to call time on his European adventure. He returned to Australia, secretly focused on adding to his family's rich history at Essendon. 

Less than three months after his trial at Ajax and just two weeks after turning out for Port Melbourne in the NPL Victoria competition, Hird's red and black dream took a major step forward when he signed as a Category B rookie for the Bombers. 

The code swap proved a shock for many in both AFL and soccer circles but Hird's decision had been weeks – and, in some ways, a lifetime – in the making. 

"Obviously it's something I dreamed of as a kid," said Hird. 

"I've had a heavy involvement in footy for most of my life, so it's not as if it's completely foreign. Up until the age of 13 or 14 it was my goal to be an AFL footballer."

As is widely known, Hird trained with Essendon in January 2019. Bombers officials were left impressed, but ultimately knew Hird's sporting passion lay with the round ball. 

But that short stint at the club where his father, grandfather and great-grandfather made their footballing names relit a fire within Tom Hird. 

It didn't make him question his soccer career, but it did lead him to last week's decision to join the club. 

Occasionally, Hird would join his dad and his younger brother to kick the footy at Como Park in Toorak, and this reminded him that part of him did miss the game he had grown up with. 

Heading into 2020, he wasn't aware of the Category B route as a viable route to an AFL career. Nevertheless, he came to a significant conclusion post-Europe.

"Towards the start of this year, I started to realise I was missing footy and it was something I did want to have a crack at," Hird said.

After arriving back in Melbourne from his Ajax adventure, Hird settled back into normal life, impressing during Port Melbourne Soccer Club's pre-season by winning the Yo-Yo test, and readying himself for a Bachelor of Law/Commerce degree at Monash University. 

And yet, the thought lingered of what a career in the AFL could become. Hird stewed on this for two weeks before bringing it to the attention of his parents, James and Tania.

He was met with some scepticism and was questioned whether a football career was what he truly wanted. 

The family discussed the scrutiny Tom would face, and with the inevitable suggestions from outsiders that the Bombers had gifted him a spot thanks to his name. 

But none of it bothered the unflappable teenager. A lifetime in the spotlight has prepared him for the criticism that will likely come his way. 

"Mum and Dad know that would be a problem and there would be comments but If I'm mentally tough enough then it shouldn't really be a problem. 

"Obviously Dad has done everything I need to do if I'm going to make it in footy. Even Mum has been around for that whole time as well. Having them both around will be really helpful." 

There will be challenges along the way — Hird is acutely aware of this. But his mental fortitude is one of his strengths. 

"I think that change in [body] size will be quite challenging, and re-adapting to the game will be tough, but for me it's about having the right mentality. If I can do that, then it shouldn't be an issue," he said. 

Europe was once where Tom Hird's AFL dream seemed destined to evaporate. Almost six years on, Essendon fans may have the continent to thank for adding another chapter to one of the club's most famous stories.