Footballer looks forward to overseas experience
A young Manawatū footballer is off overseas to help pursue his dream of one day becoming a professional player.
Palmerston North Marist player Tane Garcia-Soto, 10, is going to Barcelona in Spain in May for one month to train and play football and futsal.
Marist director of football Juliano Schmeling, who is from Brazil, helped organise the trip through his contacts.
‘‘I feel really excited and I think it’s going to be a really good experience,’’ Tane said.
It would be the biggest thing he had done in football and it’s hoped the trip would expose him to different styles of play and training. ‘‘I’m most looking forward to getting out of my comfort zone and playing with other players and different coaches.’’
Tane is a striker and goes to Kairanga School. He has ambitions to be a professional football player one day.
‘‘I started kicking a ball when I started to walk. I joined the club when I was 3. I played two grades up.’’
He is now playing under-12s.
Tane’s family came to New Zealand from Colombia 13 years ago. They spoke Spanish at home, which should help him adjust to Spanish culture.
Tane was a member of Marist’s academy, which was started by Schmeling last year.
The academy had about 85 futsal players and 60 football players involved and Schmeling had been developing pathways for players coming through.
Schmeling said the main thing for Tane about the trip was to be exposed to different experiences.
There was a Givealittle page called Help Tane with his determined goal to become a professional football player where people could donate.