Brown decides to hang up boots
It is a measure of Tim Brown’s character that he wanted to drift out of football without a fuss.
The All Whites and Phoenix midfielder decided to retire, at 31, about two weeks ago, but he only publicly announced his shock move yesterday and even that took some persuading from those close to him.
In classic Brown fashion, he wanted to slip out the back door quietly, and certainly without taking attention away from the Phoenix’s crunch A-league playoff match against Sydney in Wellington on Friday.
But he was convinced by others that the fans would be disappointed if they didn’t have an opportunity to farewell their home-grown product, so Brown made the call to Fairfax Media to inform us of his retirement.
‘‘It’s a huge thing and a surprisingly emotional thing, too. I was a mess when I told the team last week and I made the decision a week or two ago, but telling people makes it a whole lot more real.’’
An opportunity to complete a masters degree in management at either the London School of Economics or Cambridge University was too good to turn down, so Brown will hang up his boots.
He has already been accepted into the former and is awaiting news from Cambridge, but either way he is off. One of the more likeable, humble and intelligent sportspeople in New Zealand, Brown completed his undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2004 while playing football in the United States college system, before embarking on a professional football career.
A foundation Phoenix member and longtime vice-captain, he’s played 110 matches and scored 22 goals, second only to Paul Ifill, a top ratio for a midfielder.
He’s also played 29 matches for the All Whites since 2005, coinciding with arguably their most successful time in international football, and has captained them on several occasions in the absence of Ryan Nelsen.
Having missed out getting on the field during the World Cup finals in South Africa after sustaining a shoulder injury against Australia in a leadup game, it was tempting for Brown to continue, especially with Brazil 2014 just around the corner.
‘‘I still hadn’t made my decision around the Jamaica game in Auckland last month and you look at the talent in that team, it’s probably one of the most talented New Zealand teams I’ve been a part of,’’ Brown said.