Young Kiwis Outside the UK

Wow surely he could do better than that? 

Matt Conroy's gone pro too, he's signed for Vejle

Good for him if so.

Can't see any confirmation of a signing on their website, but listed as playing an U19s game for them is this article, back on 30th July.

https://vejle-boldklub.dk/dobbelt-sejr-over-silkeborg/

So if signed probably a youth deal.

Vejle play in Danish 1st Division (2nd tier), same as Nikko Boxall's Viborg.

He's playing for the U-19's, and managed to bag himself a double overnight.

Slutresultat fra U19-Ligaen: Randers Freja FC - VB 3-4 (1-1). Mål af Villads Rasmussen, Matthew Conroy (2) og Mathias Voss. #VejleB

— Vejle Boldklub (@Vejle_B) August 10, 2019

Anyone know what's happened to Josh Ruckdeschel? Last played for Cartagena in Spain, haven't heard anything since 2016

edit: jesus christ nevermind

The mug shot is awful but looks like it's 'only' a trespass charge? His occupation is listed as uni student so I wonder if he was playing the in college system stateside?
Though I think a conviction might put an end to that...

Yeah not serious or anything so his career ain't in jeopardy. He was in the college system for a bit, among spells at Spanish sides Cartagena and Lleida. Played for Suburbs while he was here I think - wonder how he's getting on in the sporting front now

Slutresultat fra VB Parken: VB - Bechem United 8-0 (5-0). Mål efter pausen af Vitinho og Matthew Conroy (2). #VejleB

— Vejle Boldklub (@Vejle_B) September 4, 2019

Couple of goals off the bench overnight as the Vejle reserves win a friendly against Ghanaian club Bechem United.

Matthew Conroy has signed a 4-year deal!

VB har indgået en fire-årig aftale med 18-årige Matthew Conroy, der er blevet en del af U19-Ligatruppen denne sommer. Offensivspilleren kommer fra Waitakere United på New Zealand og har allerede scoret for U19- og reserveholdet. Mere: https://t.co/oLmwX9senb #VejleB #transferdk pic.twitter.com/14k5Rbhzl0

— Vejle Boldklub (@Vejle_B) September 9, 2019

So 5 Kiwis on pro contracts in the Danish Kingdom.

Sounds like he'll be getting his own thread at some point in the near future. 

Well done lad!

Danish 2nd tier correct?

Matt Conroy has been quickly promoted from the u-19 team to the senior team for Danish second tier side Vejle Boldklub.

Article on him signing:

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=da&u=https://vejle-boldklub.dk/newzealandsk-angriber-skriver-med-vejle-boldklub/&prev=search

Mentions he has been training with the first team and is expected to eventually appear regularly for them.

Two starts for the u-19's last month:

https://www.transfermarkt.com/matthew-conroy/leistungsdaten/spieler/473344

On bench this morning for senior team in the Danish Cup in a 1-0 loss to Vendsyssel but didn't take the field:

https://vejle-boldklub.dk/startopstillingen-mod-vendsyssel-6/

"18-year-old Matthew Conroy is on the bench for the first time. The New Zealander can debut for VB if he gets on the field."

Vejle Boldklubs startopstilling:

Indy Groothuizen

Mathias Voss
Mads Greve (anfører)
Mads Lauritsen
Nicolas Gianini Dantas

Lundrim Hetemi
Thomas Gundelund

Lucas Jensen
Diego Montiel
Sergiy Gryn

Adam Jakobsen

Bænken:

Thomas Hagelskjær (m)
Juhani Ojala
Magnus Grødem
Kjartan Finnbogason
Jacob Schoop
Matthew Conroy
Brenner Alves Sabino

Charles Spragg has signed for Palamos  in Spanish 4th tier

From this week's Flying Kiwis.

Charles Spragg (19 years old). His last club was

PALAMÓS CF@palamoscf

[NEW PLAYER]

Charles Spragg (19 years old). His last club was @ESAFC

First player from New Zealand to play for us

He represented NZL in U17 and U20 categories

Welcome to the Degà, @charles_spragg

Here’s something different. NZ youth international and Eastern Suburbs prospect Charles Spragg has leapt on into the professional ranks in lovely Catalonia after signing a first team contract with Palamós CF – who compete in the fourth tier of Spanish football. The club was founded all the way back in 1898 and was a second tier club for six solid years in the early nineties though is pretty stable amidst the vastness of that Tercera division these days – the fourth tier (it goes Primera (aka La Liga), Segunda, Segunda B, and then Tercera) features 360 clubs split across 18 regionalised groups.

So not the highest possible standard but along with getting to try establish himself in the Spanish footy pyramid, the 19 year old also now gets to live in a gorgeous coastal town in Catalonia. Whilst playing football for a living. Palamós began this season just hoping to stay in this division but a few early wins have them dreaming of something a little tastier than that. Not sure how long Spragg’s contract is for but it comes after a successful trial period. And while there’s a fair bit of competition for the attacking spots on this team he should be straight in with the first team so that’s sweet.

16 year old, 6'6" centreback Jack van Luijken has moved to Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles on a professional contract from Onehunga Sports. Dual Dutch/NZ citizen

Are they in the second division these days? Not bad for a 16 year old kid in any case

Danny Hay has shown interest in calling up Fabrizio Tavano to the New Zealand national team, according to the player himself.

Tavano has just sealed a move to Nicaragua - signing with league runners-up Real Estelí - following a successful debut year in the Mexican third tier.

— Sam Smith (@mrsmiis) January 20, 2020

love the guy so wouldn't be against this. ESPN MX with an article on him here: https://www.espn.com.mx/futbol/nota/_/id/6515844/fabrizio-tavano-futbolista-mexicano-en-la-orbita-de-la-seleccion-de-nueva-zelanda

To be honest, don't know him very well at all, so I guess the question is - would he be deserving a call-up to the AW's? 

Genuinely neither for or against the idea to be fair, but has to be worthy of a spot.

Comes across as quite well spoken and intelligent in that article too. Liked the play at a possible Phoenix move at the end too, no harm in putting it out there I guess. 

I've seen him play a bunch of times for ACFC vs TeeDubs and I have to say he was OK but not good enough for the AWs.

However he's playing professionally now and we're a bit short of out and out strikers so might be worth a punt - at least to see how he goes.

What are the alternatives in the position of vice-Wood? Collier? Can't really think of anyone else..

Also, curious what the 'paperwork' he talked about in the article is? Surely if he moved here at 12 he would have received NZ nationality quite early on (kids get fast tracked) - plus he's played for the NZ U15 team so that would mean he was already eligible back then?

[quote=newzealandpower]

I've seen him play a bunch of times for ACFC vs TeeDubs and I have to say he was OK but not good enough for the AWs.

However he's playing professionally now and we're a bit short of out and out strikers so might be worth a punt - at least to see how he goes.

What are the alternatives in the position of vice-Wood? Collier? Can't really think of anyone else..

Waine or Draper 

NZF has never had a U15 boys team. Might have been a reference to a NZ Secondary Schools team, or to some form of camp?

The paperwork = requesting a waiver from FIfa to be eligible to play for a country his not eligible for as of right.

Also, I believe he'd be seen more as a backup '8' ie behind Singh/Thomas than as a backup 9 behind Wood.

back in the 70s and 80s there was an U15 team, think they only toured internally though but that was long before Tavano was around

The NZ Secondary Schools have an U15 team, which is likely the one he played for, so FIFA eligibility doesn't come into that

I did think the whole U15 thing was strange but hey it was in the press, so it must be right? :)

In that case the waiver makes a lot more sense as he clearly hasn't turned out for any official NZ age grade team yet so his eligibility isn't necessarily confirmed. And after the last few years, glad to see we've learnt our lesson and aren't rushing anything!

@Bootit: "Draper or Waine"

Surely if Draper gets a look in we could have Hamish Watson too?? :)

Re: Waine, I definitely like the guy and in 3 years who knows he won't actually be good enough to be part of the AWs - but right now sure someone like Tavano is ahead in the pecking order

There is no way that Tavano is ahead in any such pecking order - I mean, the guy's been playing in Mexican third tier up until a couple of months ago, and that is an abysmal level. Not sure that the Nicaraguan top division is all that much better.

Waine is highly accomplished at the Handy Prem level, and is getting decent minutes at the top level in Australia which at the age of 18 is nothing to sniff at. Waine is clearly a better and more promising option, and it's not even a discussion.

Agree on Draper though, that waka sailed a long, long time ago.

The only pecking order that counts is Danny Hay's

Tavano is absolutely a better player than Waine right now though - personally I'd say that's not a discussion. Would be more than happy to see him in an experimental squad, say we're blooding a few Handy players as well

Hard to judge these things, but I'm thinking that the Mexican third tier is probably a somewhat better league than the ISPS Handa Premiership.

Mexico has more of an elite system than many other countries beneath the top league.

With a population of 129 million and few other sports apart from wrestling to rival football's domination, there are currently unprecedented amounts of money in Mexican football especially from the thriving Mexican TV market and even top European and south American internationals have been attracted to play there.

On the elite note, despite its large geographical area and huge population, the Mexican second tier, the Ascenso MX only has 12 teams.

Tavano was playing for one of the top teams, Coras de Nayarit in the third tier, the Liga Premier, in the elite section of the two sections in that division (Liga Premier Serie A) which includes some Liga MX and Ascenso MX reserve teams.

Coras de Nayarit were an Ascenso MX side as recently as 2017.

My feeling is that the best sides in the Mexican third tier would comfortably beat our Handa Premiership sides.

Regarding Nicaragua, an attraction is that the league winners get direct entry to  the CONCACAF Champions League group stage where they face the top Mexican and MLS sides (who tend to dominate). League runners-up enter the qualifying rounds. 

Tavano's side Real Esteli have won 11 of the last 15 Nicaraguan titles, so there's a good chance he'll play in the continental championship.

I've seen Mexican third tier football. It's at best Central League level.

Whilst I bow to your knowledge of Mexicon football El Grap, the two ISPS games I watched over the weekend were Central League at best.

In fact I'd put money on both Wests and NCR beating all four of the teams comfortably.

Comparisons with the likes of Cam Howieson, Clayton Lewis, Michael McGlinchey, Owen Parker-Price and Matt Ridenton would be more apt than with Greg Draper and Ben Waine.

As a TeeDubs fan, I do have a soft spot for Watto? 

How is Dimario doing in Gibraltar? (I would expect he is nowhere near an AW call up obviously)

Cameron Hogg has signed with Swedish club Umea FC, who were recently promoted to the Superettan (2nd Division)

That's higher level than most in Scandinavia, so probaly deserves his own thread now.

Umeå FC retrieves another player from Nyköping's BIS. This time it's goalkeeper Cameron Hogg, 24, who joins. The contract is signed over the 2020 season. The new Zealand goalkeeper joined Nyköping in the summer of 2019 and played all the matches in the fall when the team only lost one match. However, a new challenge awaits in a higher series for the 190 cm long goalkeeper. - I feel excited to come to an organization like Umeå FC. It's this kind of opportunity everyone we players work hard for, says Hogg, and explains why the choice fell on Umeå FC: - 

"It is a combination of having a fantastic leadership team, a chance for me to be challenged at a higher level and a longing to show me even more in Swedish football. Hogg joined Umeå early this week and the first impression could not be better. - I love the club, the city and the people. I can never give enough praise to the Swedish public, I love life here. The team's winning mentality and professionalism are contagious and that is a good sign for the coming season", says Hogg, who acknowledges that the choice would be a little easier when he had both Enis Ahmetovic and Jakob Bergman as teammates in Nyköping last year and Brian Clarhaut as coach: 

- "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a factor in my decision to move to Umeå. One of the reasons why I liked Nyköping was precisely the presence of players like Enis and Jakob, they raise morale and quality in all the groups in which they are located. Then to know that I could continue my career under Brian's leadership. His hard work and desire to win spreads within the group and takes out the best of people."

Describe yourself as a goalkeeper! - "I am a goalkeeper who values presence and safety. I talk a lot and like to control my defenders. Besides of course stopping balls, I am a goalkeeper who wants to dominate in the airspace and that I am good with both feet."  Now he is looking forward to the new challenge in Umeå FC. - "Above all, I want to continue to grow and develop as a goalkeeper and teammate in a professional football environment. I will do everything to help make it a great season!" 

Danny Persson on Cameron Hogg: - "Cameron is a goalkeeper who has a good range, is good with his feet and likes to be heard. He did a very good fall season with Nyköping last year and will fit very well into our goalkeeper team under the leadership of Kim Eriksson."

sounds like one talked to the other and made himself heard before the article ?

Pijnaker played 2nd half for a youthful Grasshopper FC first team a few days ago, in a trial against Basel U21.

https://www.gcz.ch/saison/spielplaene/testspiele/spieldetail/action/report/match/3253/

After the break, Forte left the same team on the pitch except for one position: only Nando Pijnaker came into play for Elias Mesonero.

Seems like they are having a serious look at him.

I remember their signing of Mata dragged out for months. Work permits slow to process in Switzerland??

Swiss season resumes for Grasshopper (2nd tier) tomorrow.

Have a look at the Netflix series on Diego Maradona coaching in the Mexican second tier

Is Cameron Hogg any relation to Ian??

Swedish 2nd division ain't bad at all! Man we're spoiled for GKs at the moment!