The big footballing OE
Europe is to footballers what Hollywood is to actors and more Kiwis are feeling the lure than ever before. That’s what it feels like anyway, with exact figures hard to come by and players still on the move as transfer windows are yet to close.
Sarpreet Singh has captured all the headlines in pre-season, playing for Bayern Munich in friendlies on either side of the Atlantic, after signing with the German giants from the Wellington Phoenix in early July.
But he is just one of about 50 Kiwis set to ply their trade in the northern hemisphere over the next nine months, a group spread from Wales in the west to Estonia in the east, and from the English Premier League down to the Swedish fourth tier and its six regional competitions.
With the All Whites set to wake from their slumber in November and the Football Ferns turning their focus to the Tokyo Olympics in 12 months’ time, there will be plenty of interest in how they all get on, and plenty of questions to be answered.
Will Singh get a run with the Bayern first team in a competitive match, having made five appearances in preseason? His first chance comes tomorrow, when they face Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup (kickoff 6.30am NZ time).
Can Chris Wood score 10 Premier League goals for the third season in a row with Burnley, where he has been handed the No 9 jersey – or better yet, more? Burnley start their campaign next weekend at home to Southampton.
How will Winston Reid and Ryan Thomas fare as they work they way back after lengthy injury layoffs, at West Ham United in the Premier League and PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie respectively? The centre back has been more active in preseason than the midfielder, who remained unavailable as PSV crashed out of the Champions League in the qualifying stages last month.
Two Kiwi strikers did take the field for their clubs in that competition, but didn’t fare any better – Greg Draper, who is into his ninth season with Welsh giants The New Saints, and Max Mata, who is on loan at Nomme Kalju in Estonia, and made his debut away to Scottish champions Celtic.
Marco Rojas has made a strong start in his second season with SonderjyskE in the Danish SuperLiga, scoring in their season opener. Will this finally be the year he nails down a starting spot in Europe, after mixed results in Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands?
Will Michael Woud be able to kick on at Willem II in the Eredivisie, where he is contracted through to 2022, but has German Timon Wellenreuther in his way between the sticks? An injury suffered at the Fifa Under-20 World Cup has hampered the 20-year-old in preseason, but he has time on his side.
Another Kiwi stopper looking to break through is Nik Tzanev, who is yet to play a competitive game for English League One side AFC Wimbledon, but will fancy his chances this season. England age-group international Nathan Trott has arrived on loan to be the club’s first-choice keeper, but the Kiwi should at least get a run in the cups.
Further down the English pyramid, midfielder Clayton Lewis will be hoping that Scunthorpe’s relegation to League Two opens the door for him, as he begins the final season of his three-year contract. He, too, has been hindered by injury in pre-season.
In League Two, Lewis could come up against fellow Kiwi Steven Old, one of the game’s quiet achievers, who is beginning his third season at Morecambe.
Others worth keeping an eye on are Nikko Boxall, at Viborg in the Danish second tier; Moses Dyer at Floro in the Norwegian second tier; and Niko Kirwan, at Reggina in the Italian third tier. All received All Whites callups in 2018 and will be hoping to get the nod again.
On the back of New Zealand’s strong showing at the Fifa Under-20 World Cup, there are a number of players from that team looking to make their mark – a group led by Singh, Mata and Woud, all already mentioned.
It also includes George Stanger at Hamilton Academical in Scotland; Eli Just and Dalton Wilkins at FC Helsingor in the Danish third tier; and Dom Wooldridge and Nando Pijnaker at Torslanda, in the Swedish fourth tier.
In the women’s game, Football Ferns captain Ali Riley’s move to Bayern Munich will hopefully see her play more than she did at Chelsea last season, while the national team will hope Hannah Wilkinson can find goalscoring form at Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.
Betsy Hassett (at KR in Iceland), CJ Bott (Vittsjo in Sweden), Erin Nayler (Bordeaux in France), Katie Rood
‘‘It’s where the real strength of world football lies. It’s definitely the most attractive place, it’s probably where the most money is, and it’s got the biggest competitions.’’
Fred de Jong on the attractions of playing in Europe
(Lewes in England), Paige Satchell (SC Sand in Germany), Ria Percival (Tottenham Hotspur) and Rebekah Stott and Vic Esson (both at Avaldsnes in Norway) will also be in action.
The attraction of Europe to footballers is simple, and former All White Fred de Jong – who played in the Netherlands – describes it well.
‘‘It’s the real heart of world football, isn’t it? It’s where the real strength of world football lies. It’s definitely the most attractive place, it’s probably where the most money is, and it’s got the biggest competitions, so there’s always going to be this real pull towards Europe.
‘‘It’s also the most stable, so from a player’s perspective, you know you’re going to get paid, which is quite important, whereas if you go to some of the more outlying places in the world, you end up with strange things happening – payments don’t go through, you have disputes between clubs and
players – and you’re not as protected as you are in Europe, so as an employment place, Europe’s much better.’’
Ivan Vicelich is another former All White with European experience, one who is glad to see more opportunities opening up for Kiwis to make their way north.
‘‘It’s not an easy pathway, but it is easier now. There’s a few more opportunities now for Kiwis to get over to Europe and I think that’s come on the back of good performances by Kiwi teams and by Kiwi players who are in Europe, who have left a good impression, so teams and scouts in Europe now look at us in a different light.
‘‘It’s a difficult pathway, and once players are there, it’s just the beginning of the journey. You can get signed by a club and be there, but once you’re there, you need to perform, and you want to be playing a lot of games every season.
‘‘Once that first hurdle is jumped, another hurdle is just around the corner. It doesn’t get any easier.’’