QUARTET ENJOYS GERMAN DELIGHT
Grammar students pick up foreign scholarships
Four of Toowoomba Grammar School’s most promising footballers have earned the opportunity of a lifetime.
Eli Adams, Connor McLeod, Will Hayes and Jon Crowe will head to Germany on 12-month scholarships next year, giving them the chance to launch professional careers.
It comes off the back of TGS forming partnerships with German schools, which culminated in a Grammar squad travelling to Europe to play a number of matches.
Football coach Chris McLeod said such was the impression of the boys on the tour, the foreign clubs needed them on their rosters.
“We’ve come back with four clubs that want to set up a strategic alliance with young boys maybe coming to Australia, but more importantly for us is having our boys go to Germany to pursue football,” McLeod said.
“They played in a series of games in front of potential scouts, with four of our boys identified to return on January 5.”
McLeod said the quartet would have the chance to show their potential across a range of clubs.
“Eli is going into a professional environment with Elversberg FC, who are in the second tier of German football,” he said.
“The side that he’s going to qualified for the Bundesliga U17s two years ago, so that’s the calibre of player he’s going to run with.
“Jon and Will join a tremendous little club at Schmelz FC1. The boys have been provided accommodation, jobs and football for 12 months.
“Connor is off to Holzwickede, and he’s staying with a former player who I ran alongside who’s a director of football.”
For Crowe, he said this was the kick-start he needed to boost his chances of living out a dream as a professional footballer.
“It’s such a good opportunity to further my footballing career and take that step forward to make it into the league,” Crowe said.
“It’s built my confidence and it gets my name out there in Germany.
“Once you start playing good at one club, people talk and you get noticed around that area, so it will be really good for me.”