Last week, NSR HQ had the pleasure of hosting student athlete James Hardy for work experience!
Again, a BIG thank you to James for his hard efforts, we enjoyed having you on the team & we hope you found your time at NSR HQ both educative & fun!
James signed with NSR in 2014! Here, he explains where his passion for soccer started, what his current workload encompasses (training & academic) & how signing with NSR drives his motivation.
James pictured above with some of the NSR team (from left to right); Kahli Rose, Jacob Richards, Christina Mavros & Nick Poulter
“I started playing soccer when I moved over to England in 2007 when I was 7 years old. I started playing soccer because over in the UK, everyone played soccer so it was considered the norm. Through building up my skills over there I eventually made it into a representative team in 2010. I moved back to Australia in 2011 and had to re-start my soccer journey again at a club team. That same year, I made the Skills Acquisition Program, which I think really helped build my technical ability.
I think the time when I really started my push to achieve higher goals in soccer was just after I signed with NSR in 2014. At the time I was playing for an NPL team, Box Hill United. Over the summer of 2014/2015, I decided I was going to really push myself to make the state team as a stepping-stone to my journey to college in the US. Over that summer I did a private goalkeeping program training 3 times a week early in the mornings. Through the hard work I ended up playing this year for the Victorian State team (NTC). Though the hard work would still continue as to get further success on the soccer field, every training session is done at a high intensity.
One of the things that I have realised especially through signing with NSR is that it is not just the sporting ability that is important, but also the academic side of things. This means it takes a lot harder work and dedication in order to achieve goals. This year has been a huge work load for me, with training every night for NTC plus school sport, most nights not getting home until 8 o’clock then still making sure I got enough study hours in. Though through the hard work and extensive hours, you start to realise how much you want it and how much you want to succeed.”