Putting in the Miles: Tyler Dibling’s Dad on the Long Road to Everton

It’s December 11, 1999 and the football calendar is all over the show because the FA Cup Third Round is taking place a month earlier than usual. Everton are down in Devon to take on Exeter City and as the first-team come running out onto the pitch at St James’ Park, there is a raucous atmosphere. The ground is packed with 6,045 fans who are here to see the Premiership outfit up close while also praying for a giant-killing. Kevin Campbell and Francis Jeffers are leading the line for the Blues, with Don Hutchison, David Weir and David Unsworth also in Walter Smith’s starting eleven.

In the Exeter crowd that day is Sam Dibling, a local lad and football obsessive. Little does he know, as he watches the Grecians battle for a goalless draw to earn a replay back at Goodison Park, that a quarter of a century later, he will have a son featuring for the Toffees. Not only that, but he will play in the first-ever cup encounter at Everton’s new waterfront arena on the banks of the Mersey.

It was on the hour mark of Wednesday’s League Cup clash with League One Mansfield Town that Tyler Dibling made his Blues bow at Hill Dickinson Stadium after completing a £35m move from Southampton. Proud father Sam was there, like he’s always been. From Tyler’s first kick as a toddler to his first kick for Everton, he has been supported by his dad every step of the way.

“I’ve always been into football and when I played for local team Millwey Rise, I used to bring Ty down with me when he was two or three,” recalls Sam. “He’d have a little kick around with my team-mates and so playing football started there really.”

Sam, who also appeared for Axminster Town, coached Millwey Rise’s first-ever youth side and it was here, with the Under-7s, that Everton’s new signing made his first big impression.

“We played in the Exeter City Cup which is hosted by the club. Some of the Exeter youth players refereed the games and so, ironically, before they were famous, Ollie Watkins and Ethan Ampadu took charge of some of the matches Ty played in.

“We had a pretty good team for that age group and won the tournament that year. Ty scored the winning goal in the final”

Sam swiftly realised that his son had a supreme talent and got to work on looking for opportunities. Tyler recalls his dad emailing Southampton ‘hundreds of times’ asking the club to come and watch him.

“I could see that he was head and shoulders above any player that we played against at that level,” says Sam. “Southampton were our nearest team in the Premier League at that time and known for their youth set-up so I did send the club quite a few emails.”

Sam didn’t get a response for a while and so young Tyler started playing games for Exeter City. It was then that he gave the Saints no choice but to pay attention.

“Exeter played an away friendly but were short of numbers so Tyler, who was still only six, played for the under-9s and scored a hat-trick… against Southampton!”

Having netted three goals against a team of players three years older than him, the Premier League side soon invited Tyler along to play.

This is where Sam’s commitment to his son’s football dream went up another notch. Based slightly outside the Saints’ catchment area, Tyler would first go to Southampton’s satellite academy in Bath which was attended by Gareth Bale years earlier.

Later, his dad would drive him from Devon to Southampton, a four-hour round trip the pair would make three or four times a week for training and games.

“It was a bit of a journey!” laughs Sam.

“Tyler would always be asleep in the car and this helped as it meant he didn’t realise how far it was. Ty would wake up, play his football, have some food and then go back to sleep for the journey home.

“His two brothers used to come with us too and after we had dropped him off, we would go down to the local park to play football or go for something to eat. We would always do something. That continued until they got to an age where they didn’t want to anymore.”

Despite having his own responsibilities, Sam didn’t mind the long hours as he knew the time spent would help his son. He wanted to provide Tyler with the opportunities he didn’t have and make the most of his natural talent.

“I just love football and had a few trials but didn’t have the chance to go further,” he explains. “I played for a few local teams but it led to nothing serious unfortunately so I just enjoyed playing with friends. I wish I’d had a bit more of an opportunity myself in football though so when it came to Ty, I wanted to give him the best opportunities.”

As Tyler developed and progressed through the ranks, the Dibling family actually moved to Southampton for just over a year before moving back to Devon.

Sibling Owen, who is a year younger than Tyler, joined him at Exeter and followed him to Staplewood but in the end, didn’t get signed.

“They did want to keep Owen on the books but he didn’t really enjoy it anymore which was a shame,” says Sam.

The boys were huge football fans growing up and would play regularly in the garden, with dad even putting out cones for everyone to hone their technique.

“We didn’t have a big garden but had a massive goal and netting,” says Sam. “My love for football probably helped because I’d use it just as much as the boys did!”

As part of Tyler’s education, his dad took him on a football pilgrimage to see Lionel Messi up close when he was 13. Barcelona were playing Celta Vigo in LaLiga at the Nou Camp and this was a chance to learn how a superstar operated on matchday.

“Amazing memories,” says Sam looking back on the trip. “I wanted to show Ty the best player in the world; in my opinion and his opinion. He’s left-footed and plays in a similar position too.”

However, if Sam was hoping to show his son the importance of covering every blade of turf on the pitch and running after lost causes, he quickly realised he might have picked the wrong subject.

“We turned up and Messi only did about five sprints!” jokes Sam. “He did score a hat-trick though and did what Messi does best.”

Another of Tyler’s heroes was Eden Hazard. Following Chelsea growing up, it was the Belgian winger running at defenders at Stamford Bridge that captured Dibling’s imagination.

“He was lucky enough to meet Hazard,” his dad says. “I put all three of my boys on the list to be a mascot and we had to wait six or seven years. Then Chelsea played Bournemouth in 2018 and all three of them got to be mascots together. They met all the players before the game so that was pretty unreal for Ty.”

Dibling’s adoration for Hazard is such that he also loves the number 17 the frontman wore on his shirt when he first arrived in West London.

“Unfortunately it’s already taken at Everton because he did ask for that,” reveals his dad.

With Youssef Chermiti currently holding the number he’d have liked, Dibling instead opted for number 20, a shirt previously worn by Toffees idol Steven Pienaar.

Signing his first professional contract with Southampton at the age of 15 in October 2021, Dibling was starting to get noticed and a hat-trick in a youth game up at Newcastle’s St James’ Park when he was 16 went viral. The goals looked identical as he confidently ran at the Magpies defence before producing a low and hard drive into the bottom corner of the net. This was a display of expert finishing.

Dad Sam, committed as ever, was there to witness the three strikes having spent more than six hours travelling from Devon to the North East.

Remembering the morning of the game he says: “I had a day off work and was umming and ahhing about whether to go or not because it’s so far. We couldn’t really afford a flight as it was ridiculously expensive so I decided to drive up. It’s the love of football…”

Beaming with pride, he adds: “It was worth it that game.”

Dibling had been a pro at Southampton for less than a year when he decided to join Chelsea in the summer of 2022. However, after only two months in the capital, Tyler returned home to the Saints.

“He had supported Chelsea from a young age so it was a massive decision for him and he was unsure what to do,” reveals dad Sam. “When he did sign, the club put him in a lovely house with a lovely host family but it was out of the way and as he was only 16, he couldn’t drive. Then he played his first game against Southampton and I think he realised how much he had loved it there. Southampton loved him and he missed it so decided to go back.”

Sam acknowledges the Saints have had a massive impact on his son, both as a footballer and as a person.

“It’s a very family club and there are still quite a few people who have been there from the very start. They have always been really helpful and very kind. I can’t say a bad word about them.

“That’s the hard thing for Ty though. So many players he grew up with are all his very close friends really. A lot have left Southampton for one reason or another and now he’s older, he realises football is a business and that players move on.”

After becoming a professional, Dibling bought a house with a team-mate and very close friend from school and it’s this set-up which Tyler’s dad believes has aided his growth further.

“I think the network he has built is quite important. He doesn’t come home that much now because a 19-year-old has lots of socialising to do with friends and football takes up so much of his time too. We may not see him as much as we’d like but we’ll be coming up to Liverpool to see him.”

Dibling made his maiden appearance for the Southampton first-team in August 2023, coming on in a League Cup tie at Gillingham. Later that season he also played three games in the FA Cup and appeared in a 4-0 Championship win over Sheffield Wednesday.

However, after the Saints sealed promotion, it was in the Premier League where he started getting regular game time under Russell Martin. Last season, Dibling played 1,874 minutes, starting 20 games and making a total of 33 appearances in the top-flight.

“I can’t praise Russell enough,” says Sam of the former Saints boss who gave his son his debut at the age of 17.

“He has been amazing for Ty. They’re very close and he still talks to Ty and helps him which is nice. It was a great deal of trust that the club put into Ty and I think a lot of that is down to Russell because he was really hard on him but loved him at the same time.

“Ty looks like quite a casual player on the pitch. He’s got lots of ability but Russell pushed him and that was key for Ty. He’s learning all the time.”

Dibling made his first Premier League start against Manchester United at St Mary’s and it was the stuff of dreams.

“My friends came to watch the game and a few of them are United fans so it was a bit of an unreal and surreal experience that he was in the team but we were obviously really happy,” says Sam. “Ty swapped shirts with Marcus Rashford too and has put it up on the wall of his house. Southampton lost the game which wasn’t great but it was a really good moment to see him start.”

A week later, after appearing against Everton in the League Cup, Dibling scored his first goal, an early opener in a 1-1 home draw with Ipswich Town. Still just 18, he was now being talked about by pundits and known by millions of Premier League fans around the world.

“I’ve always watched Match of the Day and we would watch it every Saturday so it was very strange because suddenly, he’s on there. He’s had a few nice appearances now.”

As Tyler’s dad, Sam candidly admits it is not always easy watching his young son take to the field, especially when in the world of football, criticism can be aimed from different angles.

“It’s very hard actually because it’s difficult to detach yourself from being a parent. We go to watch and support him but I actually don’t enjoy it too much because I’m a bit on edge. I want him to do well.”

Dibling’s 2024/25 campaign with Southampton ended with an historic appearance in the final-ever men’s team game at Goodison Park. However, such was the scramble for a seat in both the home and away end, Sam missed out on seeing his son writing the first page of his Everton story.

“I didn’t manage to go because the tickets were so hard to get! We really wanted to go to that game. With it being the last match and because of how Goodison Park is anyway, it was extremely loud and Tyler said the atmosphere was just unreal.”

Despite not being at the farewell fixture, Sam did sample the Bullens Road visitors’ section in previous years when travelling the country watching his team Spurs in action.

“I’ve been to watch Tottenham play Everton a few times and it’s such a big club with a massive history. We’ve also got quite a few Everton fans living near us down in Exeter. They talk to us about the team and so there is already a bit of a connection through friends.”

Despite Southampton’s relegation to the Championship, on a personal level, Dibling had enjoyed an impressive debut season in the Premier League and was swiftly linked with a return to the top-flight.

However, Everton weren’t immediately knocking on the door, reveals Sam.

“They were not in sight. The guys who are involved with Tyler and look after him, we’ve known them since he had a Nike sponsorship at school and so we’ve always put a lot of trust in them. They tell us everything about which clubs are interested and Everton came out of the blue… literally!” he says with a chuckle upon realising the pun.

“There had been a few teams from Germany showing an interest but turning interest into a bid is a different thing altogether. I think Tottenham had also made contact in January.”

So, when did the Toffees make a concrete move to sign Tyler?

“Two or three weeks ago I believe,” is the time Sam says the Dibling camp knew a move to Bramley Moore could be on the cards.

While many youngsters Tyler’s age may have taken a couple of years to decide whether they would start a University course, an apprenticeship or go on a gap year this September, the nature of football meant that Dibling was always only going to have a couple of days or weeks to decide where he would be working and playing should the time come to leave Southampton. Joining Everton is a choice his dad backs.

“It’s the right move,” he says. “Like any move, it’s a big decision but Tyler is very confident about what he wants and knows what he wants. Joining Everton was a pretty easy decision for him really.

“Staying in this country with a great manager like David Moyes was important; it was important that Tyler was going to play and have a good coach to guide him.”

Dibling put pen to paper on a four-year contract in what proved a real coup. Everton have landed one of the top young talents in world football.

“It was all pretty smooth but slow if that makes sense?” Sam explains, delighted the deal was completed so that his son could be officially unveiled as a Toffee in the royal blue.

Evertonians are looking forward to watching Dibling in action but what can they expect? Well, who better to ask than his dad, the man who took him down to Millwey Rise for tiny Tyler’s first kickabout.

“He’s athletic and just loves to go forward,” Sam explains. “He’s very good technically and dribbling with the ball. In terms of mentality, Ty is very laid-back so doesn’t worry too much. I think that’s been key and helps him because you have to be calm under pressure.

“I get excited for him because he’s been playing in all these big places and says ‘Yeah’, like it’s an everyday thing.

“Ty is very quiet like his brothers and enjoys spending time with his close friends. We are from quite a small town and so living in a big city will be a change but he’s sociable.”

Coming from a large, close-knit family, Tyler’s switch to Everton represents a big move, not just in terms of football but his home dynamic too.

“My wife and I have seven children separately so it’s quite a big family,” says Sam. “Tyler has two biological brothers, Owen and Theo, and then he’s got two sisters and two other brothers… one is also called Tyler!” explains his dad.

“There’s only one Tyler Dibling though!” Sam’s wife jokes on the phone as they chat from their hotel room in Liverpool ahead of Everton’s League Cup clash with Mansfield.

It’s a chant which will no doubt be sung from the South Stand and the rest of Hill Dickinson Stadium as Sam’s son excites 50,000 Evertonians every matchday and leaves defenders on their backsides with his direct runs and silky skills.

The day Dibling conducted his media duties ahead of his official unveiling as a new Everton player, the family were present and treated to a pitchside treat at the Blues’ iconic home.

“The club have given us Everton shirts with Tyler’s name on the back for the game which is great. They’ve also given us some scarves as one of our little girls is with us; she doesn’t really like football, bless her, but she did enjoy coming to the stadium and has the shirt on.

“Everton have been really good and looked after us, giving us lifts as we don’t have a car up here. We walked around Liverpool the day after Tyler’s signing was announced and it was nice.

“The ground looks amazing from the outside and then when you go in, it’s massive. It’s a very impressive stadium. I can’t wait for the match tonight!”

Hours after chatting about his son’s football journey to Everton, Sam watched Tyler make his Toffees debut in a 2-0 win at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The day after, he kindly shared a picture of the moment on WhatsApp of the moment he was introduced as a substitute. Sat just behind the dugout, the Diblings had some of the best seats in the house. Dad was only a few yards away as Dibling stood in between Beto and manager Moyes waiting for his number to come up. Coming on for Jack Grealish, it was a proud moment and reward for years of dedication.

With the Duncan Ferguson curtains hairstyle and socks pulled down low, the playmaker boasts a distinctive look and fits in well. Together with Iliman Ndiaye, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish, who have amusingly been dubbed the ‘Holy Shinity’ already on social media as they too play with their socks low, Dibling completes a ‘Fantastic Four’ of players who will excite and thrill the crowds at Everton’s new home this season.

After all those trips from Devon to Southampton and even Newcastle, Sam will finally be able to save on petrol when travelling to watch Tyler on matchday thanks to a recent and timely development.

“I’m going to come up as much as possible,” he insists. “Flights from Exeter Airport to Liverpool start in October!”

Having put the miles in for his son, Sam can now sit back and watch Tyler spread his wings on the Everton flank.

An Everton season ticket holder and football writer, you can subscribe to all of Ell Bretland's work at https://ellbretland.substack.com