Anyone able to tell us about him?
Oceania Football: BEACHLANDS, New Zealand - March 1, 2015 - A young Beachlands boy is on the road to turning his dream into reality after signing his first professional football contract.
Conor Tracey is on the path to joining the football elite, securing a 14-month professional deal with English outfit Queens Park Rangers.
The 17-year-old goalkeeper, who came through the ranks at Beachlands Maraetai AFC, leaves for London this week to begin training with the Premier League team.
The former Beachlands Primary School student travelled to England in the latter part of 2014 and secured trials at the Loftus Road club.
He played for the QPR youth team against Coventry City and Crewe Alexandra.
His performances impressed the bosses and after his return to New Zealand he received a call from the club saying they wanted to sign him.
On receiving the news, the youngster says he was speechless.
“I didn’t know what to say, what to do, what to think.
“Mum looked at me with wide eyes and a big smile across her face, and dad was trying to remain focused and calm. It was awesome, just felt awesome,” Tracey says.
Tracey began his playing career at Beachlands Maraetai as a five-year-old and remained at the club for eight years.
He went on to Onehunga Sports for two seasons and was part of their WYNRS U-15 team that won the Pacific finals of the Manchester United Premier Cup in Melbourne.
He later returned to Beachlands to take his first steps into adult football, playing for the senior men’s reserves at age 15.
Tracey was also an integral part of Beachlands' senior first team in the 2012/13 season.
In 2014, he joined Ellerslie U-19s and also played for Auckland City U-20s in two campaigns in the ASB Youth League.
Plaudits are already coming in thick and fast for the young starlet.
Beachlands junior president Phil Doran coached Conor in his first senior team and says even then he showed star quality.
“The most noticeable thing for me was, even as a youngster competing in a senior league, he always kept his calm and never showed any signs of feeling intimidated by senior players.
"He performed fantastically well and played a pivotal role in turning the team’s fortunes around,’’ Phil says
Doran adds that Tracey is a great role model for young hopefuls at Beachlands.
“His dedication and attitude is incredible. If other young players can show the same qualities there’s no reason why they can’t go on to big things," he says.
“The fact he is a local boy and managed to achieve this sets a new standard.
“It instils a confidence in me in what we do at the club at a junior level and is an example of what can be achieved if the right foundations are set at the grassroots. Dreams can be realised,” he adds.
Tracey admits the journey to reaching his dream of playing professional football has not been easy and has taken a great deal of commitment and sacrifice.
The young keeper says that without the support of his parents it wouldn’t have been possible.
“They played the biggest role, driving me all over the place to get me to games and training, and guiding me in the right direction.
“My parents always told me it’s not about playing for the best or winning club, it’s about development as a player. Everything they’ve done has always been supportive,” he says.
On advice to younger players wanting to succeed in the game, he says to keep working hard and make sure you stay focused.
“Train like you play, and play like you train,” Tracey says.
He says the years he spent playing at Beachlands instilled in him the desire to want to be a footballer.
“Beachlands definitely gave me the right development and coaching in my younger years. There was lots of fun and great coach relationships that gave the right motivation for me to want to keep playing football,’’ he says.
Beachlands president Brian Preston says Tracey is a massive inspiration to any child who dreams of playing football at a high level.
“Conor spent 10 years at the club. This shows other young aspiring players that you can come from a small place like Beachlands and, with hard work, skill and determination, you can achieve,” he says.
Preston captained the Beachlands senior team when Tracey was part of the squad, both as an outfield player and goalkeeper.
“We saw then how special he was.
"We knew he would play at a high level, either in New Zealand or overseas. The latter has eventuated,’’ he says.
Story courtesy of Teri Doran (Beachlands Maraetai AFC)
For more on Auckland football, visit www.aucklandfootball.org.nz.
