PLAYER INSPIRATION - JAYDEN SMITH!
As I am sure you have seen or heard around the club lately, another one of our young FC Nelson family has recently signed a Professional football contact with our partner club Wellington Phoenix - Jayden Smith. Jayden played at FC Nelson since he was about 6 years old, and is now playing in the A League.
This is an example of a fine young aspiring FC player and making his dreams come true. It is also an example of our relationship with our pre-academy partner club Wellington Phoenix working effectively.
Tj, our DOF, had the exciting opportunity to catch up with Jayden Smith, former FC Nelson player and now Wellington Phoenix professional footballer, on one of his very rare days off these days. They talked about his football journey from FC Nelson to the Phoenix, how he got there, and what his A-league debut felt like. Enjoy.
Tj: Hi Jayden, Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for your boyhood club today. First of all, a massive congratulations for signing your first professional contract and, of course, for celebrating a successful debut for the Wellington Phoenix first team the other week against Western United in the A-league. A lot has happened in the past weeks and months. First up, how are you and what does a normal day look like for you these days?
Jayden: I am very good. Thank you. Yes, it’s been a busy and exciting few weeks, that’s for sure.
I got a day off today, which is nice, otherwise I’d be at training right now. On a normal day, I’d be at the training complex from 8.30am until about 4pm in the afternoon. We train once per day, plus additional activation sessions, gym or fitness work, video sessions or time to see the physio.
T: Tell us about your Phoenix pathway. When did you first join the academy?
J: My family and I left Nelson about two years ago and moved to Wellington. I was 15 years old then. I started off in the Phoenix U18 academy team. I then worked my way through the U18 into the Reserve team squad, where I spent most of last season. I then got the call up to the first team a few months back.
T: When was your first interaction with the first team?
J: When I played for the Reserve team, a few of the younger players, including me, got an invitation to train with the first team a couple of times.
T: How was that?
J: It was very daunting at first when you don’t know any players, but I quickly started to enjoy the environment, talking to the other players and learning from them.
T: There is a bit of a vibe going on around the FC Nelson camp since you signed your pro contract, people are constantly checking for your name in the Phoenix lineup and even summer football teams have named themselves after you. Do you feel any of this buzz, and if so, how does it feel?
J: Yes, I heard about the summer footie team. It’s really funny and cool, of course. I still keep in touch with a lot of my mates from Nelson.
T: Has anything changed since you signed your contract?
J: Not really. It’s just keep doing my thing. I keep working hard.
There wasn’t like a moment where I thought, “Wow, I am signing my pro contract.” I kind of just go with the flow, and as I said, keep working hard.
T: Do you feel any more pressure now as part of the A-league squad?
J: It’s obviously a lot more pressure now compared to what I am used to, especially compared to the academy. I just take it in my stride to be honest. I try to learn as much as I can from the older boys around me.
T: What’s it like in training in regards to the pressure to perform on a daily basis?
J: It’s true you have to perform well and try to be your best at every training session. It’s something I am still getting used to, but most of the time I am pretty good at handling it.
It’s about realising that this is a high performance environment and that I am OK with that. I really just try to be myself, work hard, and play as well as I can.
T: Stepping into this new environment as a 17-year-old must be exciting but also challenging. Who are the people in and around the team who helped you the most settling in?
J: My teammates and coaches have been great in helping me settle in so far. Especially David Ball has been really nice to me and helped me a lot, and also Scott Wootton. Those are probably the main two. Alex Rufer has also helped me a lot, especially with confidence and aspects around my debut, for example.
T: What about the head coach and other staff?
J: Chiefy (head coach - Giancarlo Italiano) has been fantastic for me. We’ve got a good relationship, and he helps me with everything. He gives me confidence, encourages me to be brave, and I really like that. I feel comfortable playing out from the back and being brave under him. But also Griff and Jordi (Assistant coaches - Adam Griffiths & Jordan Manning ) have been really nice to me and helped me a lot. They set high standards and show us where we need to be and what to aim for.
T: Back in your FC Nelson days, you’ve been predominantly playing as a holding midfielder, now you play as a centre back. How do you feel about that and, when did this transition start?
J: Back in my first year at the Phoenix Academy, my coach, Jesse Rawlings, played me as a centre back. It was the first time I moved there properly. I am enjoying it. It’s obviously a bit different than playing in midfield, but I really do enjoy it.
T: It obviously wasn’t a bad decision after all, seeing as you’ve made your debut as a centre back for the first team only a few weeks ago. This was in the season opener, a 1-all draw, with Western United. Your debut; tell us about it.
J: The squad for the game was sent out as per usual, and I was of course waiting for the message to come through. When I saw my name on the team list, I was very excited. It was very cool. It was when I went into the Sky Stadium on game day that I kind of realised it’s quite a big day.
It was the first match day for me in the stadium, so that was very special.
T: Talk us through the game and the moment you walked onto the field.
J: I was just warming up to keep warm. Five or ten minutes into my warm up, the kit man ran over and told me to come over to him. So I was like, “Oh my god…”
Chiefy then called me over, and that’s when I thought, “Wow, this is actually going to happen…”
So I put my shirt on, and then everything happened really quickly. I had not even one minute to talk to the coach, the rest is history. (Laughs)
T: How very special. Any last words from the coach before you walked on?
J: He just said to be yourself, be brave and confident, and the rest will take care of itself.
T: How do you recollect those first moments on the pitch?
J: I remember the first header, my first involvement that was pretty cool, and then just having the ball at my feet for the first time. Those are probably the two moments I remember quite vividly.
T: Now that you’ve made your debut, what are the coaches and your personal goals for the season ahead?
J: The coaches want to keep me around the squad, make sure I learn and improve so that in 2-3 years time I am pushing for a starting 11 spot. It’s small steps, trying to get comfortable in the environment and improve. And for me personally, I just want to help the team in any way possible. Whether it’s in training or playing. I try to help the team do well and be successful this year.
T: As you can imagine, a lot of young Nelsonians are looking at you as a role model and as an inspiration. What advice would you give to someone who is dreaming of playing in the A-league one day?
J: There were three things that I did when I was a youth footballer. Firstly, always be the hardest worker in the room or in your team. Always try to work harder than anyone else. Secondly, make your goals and dreams as big as possible, whatever they may be. The bigger the dream, the harder you have to work for it. That will motivate you. And lastly, I always picked three or four goals for each season. One quite achievable and two or three quite high. This helped me work even harder and made me more determined. Also, make your game as wide as possible. So that you can do as many things as possible across the park. Make every attribute as good as you can.
T: How much did you work on your abilities in your own time?
J: I did heaps of stuff by myself, probably more than I did in a team environment.
Training before school, then obviously playing during lunch time at school every day, and then football training after school. And even after that in the evening, I would still work on stuff by myself to improve and get better. I was always quite harsh on myself and critical of my game. But you can’t make it too stressful or too strict at that younger age. You just got to play and love the game. Love the ball.
T: You’ve been a real FC Nelson boy since a young age: do you mind looking back and trying to recollect those years wearing the FC badge?
J: I started playing when I was 6 or 7 years old, in the FC Nelson Fun Football programme. The year after that, my dad (Craig) was the coach. It was just playing for fun.
Then the year after that, I played together with my main group of friends. Merv was the coach then. That went for 2-3 years, which was really fun.
Then after that, I was part of the Tasman United Academy, coached by you (Tj) and Davor. That was a good experience and a bit of a taste of what an academy was like.
Then the U13s under Gary was a really good year for me personally. I really enjoyed that. I learnt a lot from Gary. And then I went into the FC academy under Davor again, where I also learnt a lot. I then played for the College 1st XI under Rob and also made my debut for the FC Nelson 1st team. That was a goal that I had, and it was great to achieve that. From that moment onwards, I felt confident in my abilities. It was the time I started having trials with the Phoenix. They saw me here at an FC Nelson Wellington Phoenix Experience Camp in Nelson, then invited me back to Wellington for another couple of trials. I flew up for preseason the year after, and from there it took flight.
T: Was there a coach in particular that helped you on your path, or did they all have an impact on where you are now?
J: All of my coaches had a big impact on my career and where I am now. I could say something about them all, and I am very grateful for their guidance and support over the years.
T: You talked about big dreams and how they would motivate yourself to work harder. What are your biggest dreams beyond this season?
J: Playing in the Premier League, that’s obviously everyone’s big dream, so that’s probably the big main one. Also, playing in a World Cup for New Zealand would be amazing as well. Those are the two big dreams I have.
T: And for those dreams, we wish you all the best. Thanks again for your time, Jayden.
The whole FC Nelson football family is proud of you. All the best for this season and everything beyond.
